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Introduction
Racial disparities throughout the criminal justice system have
long been a topic of conversation within the United States. These
conversations include whether these disparities actually exist, if they
are a systemic problem, a prejudicial problem, or whether there are
just large handfuls racist cops, judges, etc... that are making the United
States look bad. In order to dissect this problem, one must look at all
angles in order to truly understand what is happening to the African
American population throughout our system, as well as analyze the
United States regarding institutional racism, and the policies that play
a fundamental role within this system.
History
Exactly when did the racial disparities between the criminal
justice system and African American males start? This is arguably
difficult to pinpoint being that some individuals still argue its
existence, yet by analyzing the United States history, it is apparent
that these inequalities exists. Whether we are looking into the criminal
justice system, employment system, political system, etc there are
blatant signs that one demographic of people hold all of the power
within this nation.
Tonry (2016) suggests that while slavery was the number one
offender at creating the prejudicial separation within the justice
system, laws such as Jim Crow amplified white dominance for
decades after the official ending of slavery (p. 280). At the time,
these laws were mostly dominant in the south so when African
Americans fled to the north, equal treatment was expected, but what
was discovered was that big-city ghettos, housing discrimination, and
racial bias kept blacks in their subordinate place (Tonry, 2016, p. 280).
Once policies and/or corrupt actions against minorities were
discovered, the United States, attempted to help solve the problem
by adjusting policies, but rarely did it produce an effect large enough
to create change.
History of policies
When analyzing this problem from a systemic point-of-view, one
must consider the policies that have played fundamental roles in
creating and continuing these disparities. According to Gaynes, Miller,
and LeRoy (2010),
After the Civil War (18611865), many African Americans were
driven from the South by Jim Crow laws designed to keep them
from attaining power in the postwar period. Today, the criminal
justice system performs a similar function. One out of every eight
black men in their twenties is in prison or jail on any given day,
look like White individuals are arrested more frequently, but due to the fraction of
population that African Americans populate, the numbers are boldly in the reverse.
(Hartney, C., & Vuong L, 2013).
Conclusion
It is no secret that the United States has, for centuries,
implemented policies, and programs that have constantly reinforced
racial disparities throughout the minority populations. This includes
slavery, the redlining of real estate districts, police brutality, Jim Crow
laws, institutional racism, and many more. The scarier aspect of
todays society, is the underlying racism that is so embedded within
our political, judicial, institutional, and educational systems that it
seems anything other than a colossal social movement would go
unseen and unheard. It is up to us as individuals to create as much
awareness as possible surrounding this topic, because with awareness,
must come change.
References
Gaines, Larry K.; Miller, Roger LeRoy (2012-01-17). Criminal Justice in
Action (Page 49). Cengage Textbook. Kindle Edition.
Hartney, C., & Vuong, L. (2009, March). Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the US
Criminal Justice System. Retrieved from
http://www.nccdglobal.org/sites/default/files/publication_pdf/created-equal.pdf
Hurwitz, J., Peffley, M., (2010). And justice for some: race, crime, and punishment in the
US criminal justice system. Canadian Journal of Political Science, 43(2), 457479. doi:10.10170S0008423910000120
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