...2015 Putting Racial Disparity to an End: My overall topic is about prisons, and why the majority of the prison make up involves ethnic groups, such as Hispanics and African Americans. I want to know could reduce racial disparity in the criminal justice system, in these prisons. I personally think that we can reduce the racial disparity rate in these prisons, and the criminal justice system. It will take a lot of hard work and take a lot of important people. It first will start with the people that get the people for the crime, and secondly on how they pursue the crime. Is it as bad as they are making it seem? Are they trying to set an example out of these ethnic groups? What specifically are they trying to do? Why haven’t they be stopped? In order to change this disparity these questions will have to be answered. African Americans make up the majority of the make up in most of these prisons. One million of the 2.3 million people in prisons are black. 60% of the populations in these prisons are of ethnic minorities. Only a quarter of the U.S. population are made up of ethnic groups. The fact that majority incarcerated in prisons are black and Hispanic seems to be impossible, this is how we know there’s some injustices going on in the criminal justice field. If we want to put this to an end it’s going to take a lot of hard work. This kind of thing would start with the police first. If the police main thing is set out to get ethnic minorities. Racial disparity needs to be reduced...
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...Racism in criminal justice system Introduction Justice is a term that we hear a lot in our everyday life and also accept it although many of us might have a doubt as to what it truly means. Justice is the phenomenon through which we could achieve righteousness and equality. But unfortunately racism has been a common practice in the criminal justice system. Racism is actually discrimination against a group or individual based on color, social and financial status. It is something that occurs more than we notice. Many scholars believe that racism play a more important role in targeting and sentencing process in the criminal justice system and this is something which should not happen in any country no matter what. In order to understand the role that racism plays in the criminal justice system we must, first, look at the role that it plays before the criminal reaches the day of sentencing in the court. There are various publications that speak on profiling and actuarial methods which unwillingly get people into the system. Though these are two major components of the discriminatory acts that exist within the criminal justice system, it does not actually begin with these institutionalized methods. It is the laws and crime control policies that create discrimination in the system. It has been witnessed that in some instances these laws and policies are set in favor of the white people and in opposition to the black ones. In this paper, a detailed discussion has been done on the...
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...Diversity Issues in Criminal Justice The diversity issue focused on in this paper will be racial disparity in sentencing. This paper will also focus on some of the reasons why racial disparity exists within sentencing. One of the research methods used in this paper will be case studies. In society today there are a diversity of citizens, of offenders, and leaders within in the court system. However, race still plays a big role in the Criminal Justice system especially during the sentencing portion. Although racial dynamics may have changed over time, race still exerts an undeniable presence in sentencing process. This ranges from disparate traffic stops due to racial profiling to imposition of the death penalty based on the race of victim and/or offender. (The Sentencing Project, 2005). Here in the United States, African Americans criminals are over represented compared to their number in the general population. According to (Calderon, 2006) “the idea of a racially discriminatory process violates the ideals of equal treatment under law as well as under the constitution that these laws were based on.” Racial discrimination within sentencing is often a complex process, along with other factors, as well as producing racially discriminatory outcomes in certain situations. Racial discrimination has been a big part of this country for a very long time and just because things have started to change it does not mean people’s perception have changed. However, people who are in...
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...It is a job that has its rewards. Conflict comes to light when the differences of opinions regarding the disparities in the judicial system on all levels of law enforcement. Even though there are many whites that do not agree with the facts, the statistics show that African Americans and Hispanics are incarcerated at a much higher rate than whites. The judicial system in the United States has shown favoritism and bias towards white defendants, especially the wealthier white defendants for hundreds of years. There are racial disparities that burden our judicial system with the appearance and often the reality of unfairness. Visit any criminal trial in America today and you will see that the judge, the prosecutor, the court stenographer, the clerk, the bailiff, other various court personnel, the defense attorneys, and more often, the jurors are all white. One excellent example of these disparities would be in the recent “George Zimmerman” trial in Sanford, Florida a town who has allegedly had a history of racial violence and judicial disparities in and out of the court room (Maur, 2010). There are questions often asked, is there justice for “all” in our criminal courts and judicial system, and what is racial disparity? Some people say the answer to that question is no, the system is not fair. To define exactly what racial disparity is: it is a particular racial or ethnic group, within the judicial system that is greater than the portion of that group in the general...
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...Running Head: SOCIOLOGY IN CRIMINAL SYSTEM Abstract Sociology in the criminal justice system s both interest but very complicating. There are some many different aspects on what can be touched upon. The criminal justice system is known to be very biased. In specific terms the system is racial bias and unfair. The America uses a formal social control, to deal with crimes. Statistics show a fair difference and connection between race and the percentage of people convicted of crimes. Other components influence these percentages but always seem to come back to race. The racial unfairness has taken a toll on the American people and contrasts the idea that America was originally built on Incredible as it is America is one of the most tolerant nations in the world. America is a country that was built on freedom, pride, happiness, and equality. Though this is common knowledge and an allusion of the American people, the country has some faults. Equality is a major moral in America that was fought for in history and even in today's society. Throughout our history minority groups have fought hard for there rights and we have accepted the fact that its wrong to discriminate. It is agreed that racial discrimination is wrong as well (Banks, 2009, p 79). Racism has been a problem in America seen the country was founded. Slavery was a form of racism in the early centuries of America. Our judicial system has...
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...BAIL DISPARITY Racial disparity in the United States can be traced to the birth of the nation. The disparity is evident on a daily basis in our criminal justice system. In fairness to the United States, racial disparity is unique to no one country on the planet. The following information was gathered to answer the question about the bail system, “What can be done to prevent arbitrary and potentially prejudiced decisions from being made?” In order to answer that question I will cite information contained in the U.S. Constitution, United States Attorneys Manual, and documented research done in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigations U.S. CONSTITUTION First, the Constitution of the United States says that “excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." The wording allows judges and justices to interpret and apply this rule as they see fit. UNITED STATES ATTORNEY’S MANUAL The manual states that the United States Supreme Court has made clear this amendment to restrict the imposition of excessive bail without establishing a right to bail in criminal cases stating "the eighth amendment does not grant an absolute right to bail," United States v. Salerno, 481 U.S. 739, 754-55 (1987). The subject of bail and detention also entangles the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause, requiring that laws requiring pretrial detention must "serve a compelling governmental interest." In federal...
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...America has become one of the most diverse and wealthiest countries in the world. Although the United States is wealthy, not all individuals have benefited from that wealth. Throughout society, African American communities have become marginalized, with areas of poverty, high crime rates, discrimination and few opportunities for advancement. These areas are often locations where racial and cultural minorities live. Racial disparities exist within the criminal justice system and have shown many problems of inequality between the white and black race. In addition to having inequality within the criminal justice system, the criminals also have impacted their family members in different ways due to being incarcerated. The media has misrepresented African Americans by emphasizing African Americans participating in crimes while ignoring crimes committed by whites. People in society are assuming that only black people commit crimes, which is unfair because the incidences of people committing crimes are about equal between the races. Racial disparity favors white people over black people in the criminal justice system. Therefore, society must reevaluate the way society portrays who commits crimes, and where they are committed. Throughout many decades of history, black people had been discriminated against and treated as second class citizens in American society, even though they participated equally in the workforce. Discrimination has happened from slavery until present times. For...
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...The Racial Disparities and Incarceration of Juvenile Delinquents Mario M. Tate University of Memphis Abstract The criminal justice system has had to enact harsher treatment due to the erratic and unpredictable nature of juvenile delinquents who refuse to follow the law. The age ranges for juveniles that are being considered in this study are 12-18 years old. I want to address the ever growing problems of racial disparity and incarceration of juvenile delinquents, who tend to not have any other options, but being arrested and are preyed upon because of their racial make-up. Single parent households, lack of education, supervision, and economics are some of the contributing factors which have lead many juveniles down the road to their deviant behavior. Data has been collected to try and understand the reasons for the defiant behavior of juveniles, so advocates may assist them in remaining with their families; through constant monitoring and evaluations of behavior and actions of our children they may stand a significant chance of growing up to be prosperous and productive adults. Also increased funding through the Juvenile Justice Prevention Act will help local state and county municipalities’ kick-start programs to assist today’s youth. Keywords: juvenile delinquents, incarceration, racial disparity, juvenile justice, racial discrimination, jail, juvenile courts The history of juvenile delinquency and racial disparity has gone hand in hand for a very long time and...
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...Analysis of Racial Profiling In the Criminal Justice System Police officers today face many challenges. Some concerns include dangers or safety concerns related to being a police officer, questions of the use of force and the public’s perception of officers being corrupt. Additionally, with cases of deaths and accusations that have come to the forefront about police throughout the United Stated, questions about police racial profiling have also come to light. Today’s police are considered to be corrupt and prejudice against minorities. Their image has been tarnished and police are now seen as the enemy. Many compare today’s law enforcement officers to the police officers that were prejudice and brutalized blacks during the civil rights movement. If police are to change the public’s perception of them so they can get back to the business of protecting and serving, they must address issues of racial profiling, police brutality and the criminal just system must partner with the community to reduce crime rates and recidivism rates among minorities. First, racial profiling is defined as “any police action initiated on the basis of race, ethnicity, or national origin of a suspect; rather than on the behavior of the individual or on information that leads the police to a particular individual who has been identified as being, or having been, engaged in criminal activity (Ramirez, 2008, p.3). Originally, racial profiling was used to combat the issue of drugs and assist with...
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...As we near the end of 2015, racial discrimination remains an issue that can quickly create controversy and heated debate. The ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement has become a common topic for families, which many believing that minorities are treated more harshly than whites in similar incidents. However, this movement should widen the scoop of its focus to include the discrimination not just of law enforcement officials, but also of the criminal justice system itself. Disparities in sentencing have skyrocketed since the 1980s and this increase is pushed by the war on drugs. Despite the clear evidence showing that sentencing reform must become a priority for policymakers due to both the social and economic aspects of this issue, things remain the same. The purpose of this essay is to inform the debate on sentencing reform, race, and education....
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...government sets standards for juvenile justice systems at the state and local levels. It provides direct funding for states, research, training, and technical assistance, and evaluation. The JJDPA was originally enacted in 1974 and even though the JJDPA has been revised several times over the past 30 years, its basic composition has remained the same. Since the act was passed in 1974, the JJDPA focused solitary on preventing juvenile delinquency and on rehabilitating juvenile offenders. Since the original enactment of the JJDPA in 1974, the periodic reauthorizations have been controversial, as the Act's opponents have sought to weaken its protections for youth, reduce prevention resources, and encourage the transfer of youth to the adult criminal justice system. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act follow a series of federal protections, known as the "core protections," on the care and treatment of youth in the justice system. The four "core protections" of the act are, the Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders (DSO), Sight and Sound separation, Jail Removal, and Disproportionate Minority Confinement (DMC). The "DSO" and "Sight and Sound" protections were part of the original law in 1974. The "Jail Removal" provision was added in 1980 in response to finding youth incarcerated in adult facilities resulted in "a high suicide rate, physical, mental, and sexual assault, inadequate care and programming, negative labeling, and exposure to serious offenders and mental...
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...RACE AND THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM 2 “According to the U.S. Justice Department, in 2003 about 10.4% of all African American men between the ages of 25 to 29 were incarcerated, as compared to 2.4% of Hispanic men and 1.2% of non-Hispanic White men” (DeVry, 2015). This topic is critical to the study of cultural diversity because of the racial disparity among the young African American males in the criminal justice system and the lasting effects of incarceration. This research paper will unveil the truth about why African men in this age group are much more likely to be sent to prison than are people of White or Latino descent. . African American men are often charged and prosecuted more aggressively than White or Hispanic men. This paper will also reveal the adverse mental and physical health endured by black males during incarceration and upon release. Recent studies indicate that inadequate education and low socioeconomic status has a direct correlation between black males and crime. As the United States becomes an increasingly diverse nation, many studies confirm racial inequalities exist amongst judges, lawyers and legislation. This creates the very serious concern of racial profiling. While racial profiling is illegal, studies prove that black males are more likely to be stopped and searched. New York State is only one of two states that automatically processes, prosecutes and incarcerates 16 and 17 year-olds as adults. Legislation...
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...Star Ward Disparity in American prisons English 122 Prof. Howard Cox March 11, 2014 Hollywood has done a great job of painting out the picture of your average Minority figure. Correct me if I’m wrong but most movies and/or T.V. shows paint minorities out to be illiterate, lazy, have violent behavior and guaranteed to be imprisoned at least once in their lifetime. Which brings me to my topic: Disparity in America’s prison system. It’s an undisputed fact that there are more Blacks and Hispanics in America’s prison system compared to whites but how can that be when there is far more Whites in America’s population as a whole? The real problem, however, is that when thinking about disparity in America’s prisons we need not to look at it being racially motivated but to focus on the contributing factors behind it. Factors such as family, socioeconomic inequalities such as education and jobs, and legal representation. Not only should these factors be considered but we also need to look at alternative methods that can be taken to prevent imprisonment for non-violent and petty offenses. By the time you finish reading this paper hopefully you get some understanding behind the madness that has a lot of Minorities questioning the U.S. justice system. The United States Justice symbol is supposed to represent equality for everyone no matter the race, color, or creed. The land of the free is what it is other countries see it as yet some Americans feel trapped by a system set up for them...
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...Schwartz Linda Teplin Franklin Zimring November 2001 The findings and opinions contained herein are those of the National Policy Committee and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the American Society of Criminology. Ronald Weitzer, Professor of Sociology, Dana Coleman, Research Assistant, and Sarah Benatar, Graduate Research Assistant at the Institute on Crime, Justice, and Corrections at George Washington University provided substantial assistance in the preparation of this document. Introduction Capital punishment is among the most hotly debated issues in American politics. Passions run high for both those who want the death penalty abolished and those who seek to preserve or expand its use. What follows is a summary of key issues in the death penalty debate, research findings on the application of capital punishment, and a discussion of policy considerations. The American Society of Criminology (ASC) is greatly concerned with the death penalty and its application in the United States. This year, ASC President Ronald Huff and the ASC Executive Board authorized the ASC’s National Policy Committee (NPC) to develop a policy paper that would focus on the death penalty issue. The ASC Board has emphasized that the NPC paper would not speak for the Society but to its membership. The recommendations contained in this report reflect a concern that the Society needs to set a research agenda that is independent of the federal government...
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...Severity of Your Sentence? If a white and black man both commit robbery under similar circumstances who will receive a more severe sentence? In this essay we will review instances that will help to determine if the judicial system needs to be reevaluated due to racially unfair sentences. The judicial system was created to interpret laws instituted by the state or federal government. It was also brought about to serve as a setting where individuals can have their disputes resolved (www.answerbag.com). Many issues over the years have come up where race has played a major issue on what kind of sentence is handed down to the accused and continues to go on to this day. Any system can only be as good as its contributing parts. The criminal justice system constituent parts are imperfect human beings. Through multiple research that had been deemed sufficient; a decision of whether the racial bias that is within the system is the fault of the system or the people who create the system had yet to be determined. There is no doubt that there is a need to eliminate racial bias within the criminal system because it does exist. The question that keeps coming up is whether the changes need to be made within the system or within the society that it is a part of. Does Race Decide Your Sentence Severity? In every state statistics show that the prison population is overrepresented by Hispanic and black people. Many Hispanic and Blacks as well as other ethnicities from lower socioeconomic groups...
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