...What is racial profiling? Depending on whom the person asked, some might say that it is the profiling of someone for a crime based on their race, while others might say that it does not exist. The term racial profiling is not precisely in the dictionary, but according to the Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, the term profiling, specifically for racial profiling, means “the act of suspecting or targeting a person on the basis of observed characteristics or behavior” (Merriam-Webster). The misconception and miscommunication on profiling, its true meaning, and intended purpose have led to the ethical dilemma and current-day social issue of racism seen in profiling. Racial profiling has been abused and implemented in many different situations and...
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...Racial Profiling “There is definately some racial profiling. But we need to ensure that it is done for the right reasons to ensure the security of people. It is absolutely imperative that this is not abused” (Keith Vaz). According to ACLU, racial profiling “refers to the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual's race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin.” Racial profiling is more common in busy cities, like L.A. rather than small towns in rural areas. MacDonald says that, “L.A. cops discriminate against minorities.” Racial profiling becomes more common every day, but people disagree whether it actually prevents crime or is it just discrimination. Many...
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...In this paper, I will be focusing on the act of racial profiling, which has become quite common in the contemporary society. Racial profiling refers to the practice of using race as the main ground for suspecting individuals of having committed an offense. I will be sharing this article with the history professor in Sunderland University. Racial Profiling Component of Article The article that I will review and is related to this topic on racial profiling is named “Race and Justice: Wrongful Convictions of African American Men” is written by Feagin Joe. Precisely, this article mainly talks about how the African Americans tend to be wrongly convicted due to racial prejudice and discrimination (Feagin, 2013). In order to gather adequate...
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...Racial Profiling in the U.S. Criminal Justice System Student’s Name Institution Racial Profiling in the U.S. Criminal Justice System Racial profiling is among the key problems that are cited in the U.S. criminal justice system. The American Civil Liberties Union(2016) defines racial profiling as a discriminatory practice by law enforcement officers of using individual’s race, ethnicity, religion among other traits as grounds for suspicion Racial profiling has particularly affected the black Americans and other minority groups. Research shows that these minority groups and especially the black Americans are overrepresented in the U.S. Criminal system despite the fact that they constitute just a small percentage of the total U.S. population. History of Racial Profiling in the United States Racial profiling is an old problem dating back to a number of centuries ago. The history of racial profiling is ingrained in a number of historical events that cast African Americans in an inferior light. In 1704, South Carolina created the first slave patrol in which white men oversaw black slaves on plantations as well as hunting down fugitive slaves. Black Americans, most of which were slaves had to produce passes as proof of having permission not to be in plantations, or if they had been emancipated, they were required to carry with them freedom papers to show that they were free. Black people were exposed to interrogations...
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...[Name of the Writer] [Name of the Institution] [Name of the Subject] [Date] Racial Profiling and Law Enforcement Introduction Over the years racial profiling has become a significant topic especially among law enforcement agencies across the United States. Many cities and states have made a conscious effort to study racial profiling and ascertain how race and ethnicity play a significant role in stopping vehicles by law enforcement in their jurisdictions. Profiling refers to the practice of police that view certain characteristics as indicators of criminal behavior. It is the establishment of law enforcement practices that solves crime and develop prevention strategioes against crime. While, racial profiling is the new term for profiling. The change is partially because of the ambiguity that racial profiling has some confusions and controversories. The term racial profiling best decribes the situation where police arrests, questions or stops the person on the basis of race (Cleary 5). In regards to the racial profiling, the concern about it is erupting in the entire nation (Harcourt 18). Racial profiling is considered as the use of the individual’s ethnicity and race through the law enforcement personnel. In many of the jurisdiction, the practice of such acts is considered as illegal and controversial. United States have decided to work on the issues related to the racial profiling, that how the ethnicity and race play a part in order to stop the injustice through...
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...reason it seemed for the stop was because you were black. If this were you, you are Sergeant First Class Rossano V. Gerald, and were just a victim of what is known as “racial profiling.” Some may not be aware of this, but Sergeant First Class Gerald and his son’s Fourth Amendment Rights were violated. In the United States Bill of Rights, the Fourth Amendment is “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized,” (Gaines,). Racial profiling occurs whenever a law enforcement officer questions, stops, arrests, searches, or otherwise investigates a person because the officer believes that members of that person’s racial or ethnic group are more likely to commit the sort of crime the officer is investigating. Racial profiling often occurred during the late 1960s when police officers would use traffic stops as means for detention of black activists during the civil rights era. However, it has just recently become a “hot” topic in the last ten years. In this paper I will be talking about various court cases involving possible racial profiling, crime...
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...Public/Police Relations: An Intractable Conflict? David A. Mercury damercury1921@gmail.com (416) 333-7523 Public/Police Relations: An Intractable Conflict? Purpose of this Paper The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the conflicts described, between the police and the Afrikan Canadian diaspora [sometimes referred to as the Communities] and the Original Peoples communities and other racial minorities, can be defined as being intractable. If so, the exploration of possible approaches to resolve these conflicts is beyond the scope of this paper. It is my hope and intention to conduct this exploration in later works. What is an Intractable Conflict? The Oxford International Encyclopedia of Peace, defines intractable conflicts through a discussion the common features. First, [emphasis added] intractable conflicts are protracted, persisting for a long time. Second, [emphasis added] they are waged in ways that the adversaries or interested observers regard as destructive. Third, [emphasis added] partisans and intermediaries attempt, but fail to end or transform them. Conflict intractability, however, is not a fixed dichotomous feature; conflicts vary in their degree of intractability. The degree to which the three defining features are manifested varies and changes, and they are best treated as dimensions of conflict. . . . Even duration is not a fixed characteristic of a conflict. The beginning of a conflict is often contested, with one side pointing back...
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...Racial Profiling in the U.S. Criminal Justice System Racial profiling is among the key problems that are cited in the U.S. criminal justice system. The American Civil Liberties Union(2016) defines racial profiling as a discriminatory practice by law enforcement officers of using individual’s race, ethnicity, religion among other traits as grounds for suspicion Racial profiling has particularly affected the black Americans and other minority groups. Research shows that these minority groups and especially the black Americans are overrepresented in the U.S. Criminal system despite the fact that they constitute just a small percentage of the total U.S. population. History of Racial Profiling in the United States Racial profiling is an old problem dating back to a number of centuries ago. The history of racial profiling is ingrained in a number of historical events that cast African Americans in an inferior light. In 1704, South Carolina created the first slave patrol in which white men oversaw black slaves on plantations as well as hunting down fugitive slaves. Black Americans, most of which were slaves had to produce passes as proof of having permission not to be in plantations, or if they had been emancipated, they were required to carry with them freedom papers to show that they were free. Black people were exposed to interrogations, harassments, physical torture and even death if they were found to have run away...
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...Racial Profiling in the U.S. Criminal Justice System Racial profiling is among the key problems that are cited in the U.S. criminal justice system. The American Civil Liberties Union(2016) defines racial profiling as a discriminatory practice by law enforcement officers of using individual’s race, ethnicity, religion among other traits as grounds for suspicion Racial profiling has particularly affected the black Americans and other minority groups. Research shows that these minority groups and especially the black Americans are overrepresented in the U.S. Criminal system despite the fact that they constitute just a small percentage of the total U.S. population. History of Racial Profiling in the United States Racial profiling is an old problem dating back to a number of centuries ago. The history of racial profiling is ingrained in a number of historical events that cast African Americans in an inferior light. In 1704, South Carolina created the first slave patrol in which white men oversaw black slaves on plantations as well as hunting down fugitive slaves. Black Americans, most of which were slaves had to produce passes as proof of having permission not to be in plantations, or if they had been emancipated, they were required to carry with them freedom papers to show that they were free. Black people were exposed to interrogations, harassments, physical torture and even death if they were found to have run away...
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...Darius Norris History: 150 Dr. Linda Wynn Research Paper 4/1/2015 Darius Norris Dr. Linda Wynn History: 150 April 1, 2015 Male African Americans & Racial Profiling in American INTRODUCTION Considering our time and age racial profiling one of the most untouched subjects in history, especially in the law-enforcement community. Most people get it confused with criminal profiling which is not the same. Racial profiling is any police-initiated action that relies on the race, ethnicity, or national origin rather than the behavior of an individual or information that leads the police to a particular individual who has been identified as being or having been, engaged in criminal activity. Criminal profiling is any police- initiated action that used the compilation of the background, physical, behavioral, and motivational characteristics for a type of perpetrator that lead the police. Now imagine driving to the store on a cold winter day, dressed in a hoodie to keep warm. You simply pull into the parking lot in hopes of getting something nice for your daughter for the holidays. Driving the posted speed limit, you pull slowly into a parking space in the back of the store. All of a sudden, a car pulls up behind you, blocking you in. You look in your rearview mirror only to find the community crime watch officer staring you down. The officer immediately treats you like a suspect, smothering you with questions concerning what you’re doing, where you’re going; yet never...
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...murder based on a cellphone video. In Baltimore, the driver of the police van in which Gray died, Caesar Goodson, was charged with second-degree murder, with lesser charges for five other officers. There have been no indictments in the earlier cases. These follow other recent incidents and controversies, including an April 2014 finding by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), following a two-year investigation, that the Albuquerque, N.M., police department “engages in a pattern or practice of use of excessive force, including deadly force, in violation of the Fourth Amendment,” and a similar DOJ finding in December 2014 with regard to the Cleveland police department. In March 2015, the DOJ also issued a report detailing a pattern of “clear racial disparities” and “discriminatory intent” on the part of the Ferguson, Mo., police department. As the Washington Post reported in July 2015, a...
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...Shawnta Morris CJE 101-01 Research Paper October1, 2013 Racial Profiling and the Effects it has on Blacks in the Criminal Justice System. Some people wonder what is racial profiling. Racial profiling deals with miss-education, slavery, and incarceration. Since the beginning of slavery African Americans have suffered due to their identity. Racial profiling deals with selecting a person for their complaint of a specific racial group. The main reason in advocating racial profiling in the background of criminal study can enlarge the possibility of arresting criminals. Paul Bou-Habib stated, “If the rate at which members of a specific racial group commits a crime is higher than that of other criminals will be caught if the police concentrate their efforts on investigating members of the racial group in question?” (2011, p.34). It is injustice, when police officers, political officials, and judges have learned how to automatically have a racist attitude towards blacks. For example, my friend was in McDonald’s parking lot and he was in the process of switching seats with his friend because he was exhausted of driving. While leaving the parking lot, the officer had pulled them over because he seen a black guy get out of his car and thought something seemed suspicious. The officer implied that my friend did not use his right turning signal. The term “driving while black has been used to describe the practice of law enforcement officials to stop African-American drivers without probable...
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...unknown Seq: 1 5-JUN-09 8:30 Racial profiling and searches: Did the politics of racial profiling change police behavior?* Patricia Y. Warren Florida State University Donald Tomaskovic-Devey University Massachusetts, Amherst Research Summary Scholarly research has documented repeatedly that minority citizens are disproportionately stopped, searched, and arrested relative to their baseline populations. In recent years, policymakers have brought increased attention to this issue as law-enforcement agencies across the United States have faced allegations of racial profiling. In the 1990s, the politics generated by accounts of racially biased policing placed heightened pressure on law-enforcement agencies. However, to date, few studies have explored whether the increased social and political scrutiny placed on police organizations influenced or changed their general pattern of enforcement among black and white citizens. Using data in the search and citation file from the North Carolina Highway Traffic Study, this research specifically examined whether the politics generated by the media coverage of racial profiling and racial profiling legislation in North Carolina influenced the search practices of officers of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol’s drug interdiction team. The findings suggest that media accounts and the passage of new legislation were particularly powerful influences, which thereby reduced racial disparity in searches. Declines in...
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...Alex Goldsmith SOC-S 163 9/18/12 Group 6 crime paper 1 Crime For many years there has been a lot of attention on racial profiling, media and otherwise in the United States. Through the years there has been a history of issues that include racial bias regarding African Americans, Muslims, and middle-eastern people. This racial profiling intensified in the 1990’s. There have been a number of studies revealing evidence of racial profiling. The comedian Ron White said in a comedy act that he was once arrested because “the police were stopping ever car going down that particular sidewalk and that’s profiling, which is illegal.” He was making fun of this situation, but unfortunately it is something that happens every day in the United States. Many Americans of ethnic background face racial profiling. Racial profiling goes against what our constitution stands for, and violates the constitution’s promise that all people are equal and that people should be free from unreasonable searches and seizers. Racial profiling targets people of color and different ethnic backgrounds for investigation and police enforcement, but unfortunately this alienates communities from law enforcement and causes them to lose creditability and trust among the people they are supposed to protect. We expect the police to protect and be fair and just, but this horrible practice of racial profiling has led to people living in fear and makes communities feel that they are all suspects...
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...officer’s use of discretion results in a violation of due process it is a violation of the law (Young, 2010). Due process is the constitutionally mandated procedural steps designed to eliminate error in any governmental deprivation of liberty, life, or property (Pollock, 2010). One of the main concerns with using discretion is the possibility of it leading to a violation of due process by racial profiling. Types of Negative Police Discretion Racial profiling occurs when a police officer uses a “profile” as reasonable suspicion to stop a person with the intent to obtain consent to search their belongings (Pollock, 2010). These stops are usually traffic stops and the officer is looking to obtain consent to search the individual’s automobile. The “profile” used is based on race. In these cases, an officer is using their discretion to target minority groups because they believe they are involved in criminal activities. The concern with using this profile is that racial stereotyping of minority groups will lead police to crack down on minorities more than on other groups. While police see the action of racial...
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