Racial vs Criminal Profiling
Krista Williams
November 7,2012
4th period
Racial Profiling vs. Criminal Profiling
Justice is said to be blind, at least that is what the Supreme Court says. But in many instances, it has caused others to think differently. The scale on which justice is weighed has been corrupted from the inside and has caused this great controversial issue to rise. That issue is racial profiling and its implementation in police investigations and court systems. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, racial profiling is defined as the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual’s race alone. It is something that has been used and is continuously used as a crutch for people to get their “so-called” justice they think they deserve. But many of these same people fail to understand that racial profiling is different from criminal profiling. Criminal profiling is defined as a reliance on a group of characteristics that they believe to be associated with a specific crime. Yes race is involved, but it is not the only factor contributed. Case after case has been brought to the justice system based on the accusation that they were racially profiled. In Ontario Canada, a drug police officer discovered a large number of marijuana “growing houses.” All these houses seemed to be boarded, vacant and cars were always parked around the back of the house. Within in one week after the bombarding of the houses, the police officer testified in court. The first question asked was “Did you pick this house because of the occupant’s race?” Why would this lawyer even question his ethos, his credibility if it had nothing to do with the case at hand? It was determined that the police officer was acting in good faith. But the question still remains, why was race automicaly assumed to be the reason the houses were bombarded and the suspects were arrested? Another example of this confusion was in the case
November 7,2012
4th period
Racial Profiling vs. Criminal Profiling
Justice is said to be blind, at least that is what the Supreme Court says. But in many instances, it has caused others to think differently. The scale on which justice is weighed has been corrupted from the inside and has caused this great controversial issue to rise. That issue is racial profiling and its implementation in police investigations and court systems. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, racial profiling is defined as the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual’s race alone. It is something that has been used and is continuously used as a crutch for people to get their “so-called” justice they think they deserve. But many of these same people fail to understand that racial profiling is different from criminal profiling. Criminal profiling is defined as a reliance on a group of characteristics that they believe to be associated with a specific crime. Yes race is involved, but it is not the only factor contributed. Case after case has been brought to the justice system based on the accusation that they were racially profiled. In Ontario Canada, a drug police officer discovered a large number of marijuana “growing houses.” All these houses seemed to be boarded, vacant and cars were always parked around the back of the house. Within in one week after the bombarding of the houses, the police officer testified in court. The first question asked was “Did you pick this house because of the occupant’s race?” Why would this lawyer even question his ethos, his credibility if it had nothing to do with the case at hand? It was determined that the police officer was acting in good faith. But the question still remains, why was race automicaly assumed to be the reason the houses were bombarded and the suspects were arrested? Another example of this confusion was in the case