Contreras 1

Arlene Contreras

Professor Turner

English 114B

17 April 2017

Minorities vs. White Americans

The United States of America has a large growing inmate community. People in prison

are from all different backgrounds but the more incarcerated race in prisons are Hispanics and

African Americans, known as the minority groups. Minorities are known to be given longer and

harsher sentences compared to White Americans, who are given less prison time for the same

crime committed. This is where we need to make a change, courts and judges get away with

racial discrimination based on their views of Americans every day. Every American in this world

deserves a fair trial and court systems are not providing it to minorities. This is one of the many

situations in this country that is an ongoing issue that has never been fixed and needs reform. We

are a country that professes freedom, yet America has the largest incarceration population. The

criminal justice systems supporters state that there is already a lot being done to end

discrimination in justice systems that gives minorities a fair trial, but it has not been noticed.

America is one of the most racially diverse country in the world, but is also a country that

has marginalized American communities One of the major aspects of marginalization is the

treatment of people of color which occurs not only in our world but in the criminal justice system

where people have the right to be treated equally and fairly. The criminal justice system being

racially discriminatory towards minorities makes it not only hard to trust them but as well as

believing them when promoting public safety. Courts show dissimilar treatment of similar

treatment of similarly situated people based on race stated in The Sentencing Project by Ashley
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Nellis, a Ph.D. Senior Research Analyst. There is an overwhelming of bias to people of color in

our criminal justice system that needs to be addressed and fixed, because as time goes on court

system will continually treat people unfairly. Although the United States does have the 14th

Amendment which states the right to a fair trial, minorities are still unheard.

One main reason why incarceration rates are higher for minorities then White Americans

is due to racial profiling by police officers when they are patrolling the streets. Some crimes are

brought to the attention of police officers and in other cases officers conduct undercover

operations in effort to stop crimes without involving witnesses. Police Officers mainly decide

who they want to stop and unfortunately it is based off the routine exercise of prism of race

which is the practice of racial profiling that officers suspect suspicious behavior based of skin

color as stated in the article Race and the Police. Police Officers tend to patrol the areas in

where minorities would live because they suspect active gang activity and drug possession in

those areas. Race and Police stated that DEA Agents over the years have stated their belief that

most drug couriers are black females, and that being Hispanic or black was part of the profile

they used to identify drug traffickers. This is one reason why minorities are often caught more

than White Americans because Police Officers are not going to patrol areas where they believe

the higher class would live because to them they are less likely to commit a crime or have

possession of drugs. According to Crime Reports in the area of Westwood, CA which you would

find less Hispanics and African Americans living in this area it shows that there have been

incidents in where there was people who were caught with possession of drugs. This is an

example that no matter in what area people live in or what race is mainly living in that specific

area there will still be people who commit crimes just as bad as those in communities where
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minorities reside. Police Officers should put racial profiling to the side and remember that they

are supposed to be protecting everyone fairly and equally.

The incarceration rates for minorities continue to grow as the incarceration rates for

White Americas are lowered. Minorities will always seem to receive harsher sentences based off

their race. People look at African Americans and a White American and see that it would be

easier to sentence an African American into prison rather than a White Americans. In the article,

Criminal Justice Fact Sheet by the NAACP it stated that African Americans now constitute

nearly 1 million of the total 2.3 million incarcerated population. African Americans are

incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of whites. Together, African American and Hispanics

comprised 58% of all prisoners. If minorities were being incarcerated at the same rates that

White Americans are, prison populations would be lower by 50%. If the criminal justice system

continues to treat minorities unfairly, how can people trust that court systems, police officers, and

the government is protecting us when theyre not even providing us with our rights? People

depict African Americans to be such bad people, even when White Americans have their fair

share of bad people as well, they are just not put into the spotlight as African American criminals

are.

Minorities are not only being incarcerated more than White Americans based of their race

but it is also due to the fact that White Americans generally have more money than Hispanics or

African Americans. In an article from NY Times Jails Have Become Warehouses for the Poors,

Ill and Addicted by Timothy Williams, he states that jails across the country are being filled

with primarily of people [who are] too poor to post bail. U.S. workers who have obtained a

four-year college degree earn significantly more than those who have not obtained a college

degree. Statistics show that 23% of African Americans and 15% Hispanics have completed
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college and earned a degree in comparison to 36% of White Americans who have a degree,

according to an article Racial, gender wage gaps persist in U.S. despite some progress by Eileen

Patten. Obtaining a degree automatically gives you more opportunities in the workforce and

higher pay. For those who either were not capable of going to college or chose not to attend

college are more likely to have a job that pays them minimum wage. Because of the fact that

White Americans go to college and complete it, they have a higher chance in earning a well-

paying job, meaning that they earn enough money to post bail and pay for lawyers to get them

out of prison. Judges may even see White Americans as having more of a brighter future than

African Americans or Hispanics which results in lowering the sentences or letting White

Americans free.

In the case of Brock Turner, a former Stanford University swimmer who was convicted of

sexually assaulting an unconscious woman outside of a party they were attending, was sentenced

to just six months behind bars. Two students had found Turner raping a half-naked woman

behind a dumpster outside a fraternity house, they then chased after him and held him down until

the police had arrived. He was then arraigned at the Santa Clara County courthouse where he

pleaded not guilty to the five felony charges which were then reduced to three charges. They

included assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated or unconscious person, sexual

penetration of an intoxicated person and sexual penetration of an unconscious person. Turner was

found guilty of raping the woman and faced a maximum of 10 years in prison. Later, at hes

sentencing trial, Judge Persky sentenced Turner to only six months and jail and three years of

probation because A prison sentences would have a severe impact on him Persky said I think

he will not be a danger to others as stated in an article Outrage over 6-month sentence for

Brock Turner in Stanford rape case by Ashley Fantz. The Judges statement made not only the
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victims family outraged but as well as the public. Tuners actions had a severe impact on the

victim and the Judge stating that a full sentence would have a severe impact on Turner is nothing

compared to what the victim had to suffer through. Turners victim stated in her personal letter If

a first-time offender from an underprivileged background was accused of three felonies and

displayed no accountability for his actions other than drinking, what would his sentence be?

(11). This sentencing is proof of the advantages that White Americans have simply because they

are white and well educated.

Kenneth McDuff was an American serial killer who was suspected in killing 14 women

and served death row from 1968 to 1972. Before McDuff was convicted of murder charges he

was first convicted of 12 counts of burglary and an attempted burglary. He was than sentences to

12 to four years in prison, but was let off on parole in December of 1965. Soon after he was let

out, he committed murder with a friend of his who provided a testimony against McDuff for a

lesser sentence in exchange. McDuff was then arrested and sentences to serve a life sentence for

the murder of Robert Brand. However due to overcrowding in prison, prisoners were not serving

their full-time sentence therefore McDuff was given parole in October 1989. Not long after he

was let out, McDuff was suspected in the murder of Sarafia Parker whose body was found just

three days later after his release from prison. McDuff continued murdering women whether they

were prostitutes or people he worked with. McDuff killed 14 women up until he was captured in

Texas after being on Americas Most Wanted and was put to death by lethal injection on

November 18, 1998. This case is an example of how the criminal justice system works, a White

American continues killing after he was let out multiple times due to prison overcrowding, yet

there are African American and Hispanics serving full time sentences of nonviolent offenses.
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In comparison with the two cases in 2015 a high school football player by the name of

Cormega Copening faced up to 10 years in prison. This case took place in North Carolina where

there was an ongoing investigation of alleged statutory rape. Copening was a not suspect in this

case, so when Officers asked to confiscate his cellphone Copenings mother allowed them to for

possible evidence. As the Officers began searching through his phone, they read text messages

with his 16-year-old girlfriend that contained nude photos of each other. Copening was then

arrested for possessing child pornography. In the state of North Carolina, you could only send

explicit photos if you are over the age of 18, if you are under the age you can be charged as an

adult. This law was passed to protect children from being exploited by older adults. Copening

was charged with two counts of second-degree sexual exploitation and third-degree

exploitation according to an article High School Student Faces 10 Years in Prison for Sexting

his Teenage Girlfriend by A.R. Shaw. Since the charges have been brought up, his high school

dropped him from his team. Like Brock Turner, Copening had his life ahead of him and could

have furthered his career in football, but because he was

In a court case stated in The Sentencing Project states that in 2000 the U.S. Supreme

Court set aside the death penalty in the state of Texas in which the offenders Hispanic origin

had been presented by the state as indicator of likely future dangerousness. People depict

Hispanics and African Americans to be the only people in the world to be dangerous, when in

reality anyone from any background can be dangerous as well. Judges are sentencing people to

prison not based off of the crime they have committed, but based off of their race. White

Americans are known to be more privileged then Hispanics, or African American but that does

not mean that they get to be released earlier than any other prisoner sentence longer for the same

crime. African Americans and Latinos lives are just as important as a White American and they
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deserve to be given the same respect that criminal justice agencies would give to any other

American.

A report by The Sentencing Project states that one in every nine prisoners is serving a

life sentence, and the number of such prisoners has than quadrupled since 1984 (1).

Approximately 10,000 life sentence prisoners have been incarcerated for nonviolent offenses

which include drug and property crime. Crimes that can result in life sentences are assault,

robbery, and sex-related crimes. Among these crimes are those without the opportunity of parole.

People are imprisoned for life once they are convicted of robbery or a sex-related crime but why

was McDuff released on parole after being convicted of burglary and then murder. Court systems

are releasing prisoners who have yet to realize their actions and make a change in their life and

because of that there are putting the publics lives in danger. If prisoners are being released due to

prison overcrowding, I believe they should release prisoners who have committed nonviolent

offenses.

As of now I have not seen our country fix our incarceration rate, although there are many

corrections policy reforms that are put in act to correct overly harsh sentences for those

convicted of nonviolent offenses nothing has changed. The Sentencing Project discuss states

have begun to depopulate their prisons and reform sentencing laws that have driven the

expansion of the prison population since the mid-1970s (17). Developments have promised that

there are going to be new criminal justice eras that is going to rely less on incarcerations and

more on other alternatives that can promote public safety, reform offenders, and heal the victims

within their budget. I think addressing the incarceration rates for drug offenses alone is going to

have a significant impact on the over population in prisons. Half of the people in federal prisons

are serving time for drug offenses and if the government were to address those cases, it would
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free up space in prisons for people who are committing violent crimes. If the government is

putting more correction reforms into act, I only hope that they follow through with them and

does not allow Judges to continue discriminating individuals when giving them their sentence.

As long as racism exists in the world it will also continue to be a major factor in the

criminal justice system. Racism can be noticed in language, attitudes, assumptions and strategies

of criminal justice agencies. Although the public may not see criminal justice agencies being

discriminatory in the public eye, they can still be doing it behind the scenes for instance in

prisons. The government need to address this ongoing issue and needs to find a way in which can

lead to the reduction of racism. The criminal justice system will continue treating people of color

unfairly in the court rooms by showing lack of respect for them.

Not only are minorities being giving harsher sentences than White Americans, but the

criminal justice system is also making it harder for them to be able to socially communicate with

the world outside of the walls. [People] of color, especially African Americans, are less likely

than white offenders to receive a sentence that keeps them in their communities to participate in

programming and are more likely to be incarcerated (16) as stated in the The Sentencing

Project. The consequences have grown more over time to a point where minorities are no longer

able to keep ties with family members.

Over the past years to now the United States has only become more racist towards

minorities. Police Officers, DEA Agents, POTUS, and other government officials continue to

prove to the public that White Americans have an advantage to get themselves out of trouble

compared to minorities who cant afford to have a lawyer present. White Americans will

continue to believe that they are more superior then Hispanics and African Americans, why? you

may ask, because White Americans have money. They have the ability not only have the best
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lawyers but also have the advantage of having a mitigating trial, just like Brock Turner did. No

matter what corrections policy the government will put in act, there will always be government

officials who do not follow the law. Minorities have trouble trusting our own Police Officers and

Judges who are supposed to seek the truth in the cases by investigating and instead if Judges are

brought forth a case where an African American vs. a White American, the African American has

the higher chance in losing the case simply because of this skin color. Racial Discrimination is a

factor that takes up our country and no matter how much the public may be outraged and protest,

minorities still stand alone.

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Works Cited

"Crime Report." Crime Reports. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.

"Criminal Justice Fact Sheet." NAACP. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.

Fantz, Ashley. "Outraged over 6-month Sentence for Brock Turner in Stanford Rape

Case." CNN. N.p., 7 June 2016. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.

"Life Goes On: The Historic Rise in Life Sentences In America." The Sentencing Project.

N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.

Shaw, A.R. "High School Student Faces 10 Years in Prison for Sexting His Teenage

Girlfriend." RollingOut. N.p., 9 Sept. 2015. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.

"TheBroomstickKiller."CrimeMuseum.N.p.,n.d.Web.4Apr.2017.

Patten,Eileen."Racial,GenderWageGapsPersistinU.S.despiteSome

Progress."PewResearchCenter.N.p.,1July2016.Web.16Apr.2017.