Racial Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System

Abstract

Racial inequalities in the criminal justice system have been one of the most talked about topic. The people in the United States of America are subject to incarceration on the basis of their race, color and accent. It is a stated fact that the criminal justice system has not been able to provide free and fair justice to the colored people. This is damaging the social and practical life of the colored people and is making not only the personnel, but also their families and children suffer. The black community forms a major part of the urban population of the United States of America and has been facing constant inequality on the part of the criminal justice system, which is not fair towards all the people of the country.

Racial Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System

Introduction

There have been numerous cases of racial inequalities in the criminal justice system of the United States which have been documented widely. There also is documented evidence of many sentencing, as well as, convictions which have been affected by racial discriminations. There also is a record of the analysis of many experts who have debated over the important factors that have led to the different factors which then lead to racial disparities in the criminal justice system. It has been reported and found that the minority defendants are often charged with crimes which require a mandatory minimum prison sentence much more often. This leads to racial disparities in the proceedings of the criminal justice system and make it much less just.

Literature Review

The people of color have been continually been a victim of incarceration in a disproportionate manner. They are polices, they are even sentenced to death much more than the colorless people. They are made a victim of the criminal justice system and its disparities much more than the white people. The racial discrimination and the disparities in the criminal justice system also tend to threaten the communities of the colored people. They tend to disenfranchise the communities of color which are in thousands by limiting their right to vote, and also not providing them the access to equal opportunities of employment, education, public benefits, housing and many more. In the light of such facts, it is high time that the criminal justice system evolves as the civil rights issue of the 21st century (Aguirre & Baker, 2000). Some facts relating to the people of color are provided below.

Facts

The people of color make up more than 30% of the total population of the United States. The percentage of colored people who are imprisoned is about 60%. The population of the prisons grew by about 700 percent between the years 1970 and 2005. This is a rate which is even outpacing the population rates, as well as, the crime rates. The rates of incarceration have also affected the men in the colored society. In comparison to the statistics of the incarceration of one white man out of 106 white ...