It is an extension from the previous assignment.

Racism in the US Criminal Justice

Jaunae Richardson

Institutional Affiliation

ENG 215

Professor Gail Dillard, Ph.D

Racism in the US Criminal Justice

Racism is a critical issue in the American criminal justice system that hinders reforms and the realization of justice for the people. A report by the Prison Activist Resource Center illustrates the racial bias in the American justice system by focusing on the number of incarcerated African-Americans and Hispanics. Statistics indicate that African Americans make up less than 15% of the US population but make up over 40 percent of adult prisoners in the Federal prisons and those under the sentence of death (Free, 1996). Similarly, Hispanics account slightly over 11% of the US population but account for over 10% of drug traffickers and 22.5% of inmates convicted of a drug offense. Indeed, the ongoing fight against immigrants only focuses on specific individuals, especially from Arabic countries, African, and Hispanic origins. In this effect, the role of the justice system in providing justice for the people has failed (Free, 1996). Therefore, the American justice system must address the inherent racial bias to provide justice for Americans.

The large statistics and size of the American criminal justice hide its systematic racial injustice. According to a report by the Sentencing Project (2018), African Americans are the most affected by these injustices. Although some of these practices relate to the increasing stereotypes and discrimination against African Americans, the criminal justice ought to lead by example by providing justice regardless of personal racial affiliation (Kerby, 2012). In a statement in the report, the author notes, “African-American adults are 5.9 times more likely to be incarcerated than whites and Hispanics are 3.1 times as likely.” Indeed, this illustrates a system that has criminalized race and established unofficial measures to dehumanize and oppress African Americans.

References

Free, M. D. (1996). African Americans and the criminal justice system (Vol. 13). Taylor & Francis.

Kerby, S. (2012). The Top 10 Most Startling Facts About People of Color and Criminal Justice in the United States - Center for American Progress. Retrieved from https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/news/2012/03/13/11351/the-top-10-most-startling-facts-about-people-of-color-and-criminal-justice-in-the-united-states/

The Sentencing Project. (2017). Report to the United Nations on Racial Disparities in the U.S. Criminal Justice System. Retrieved from https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/un-report-on-racial-disparities/

Vera Institute of Justice. (2018). Research Confirms that Entrenched Racism Manifests in Disparate Treatment of Black Americans in Criminal Justice System | Vera Institute. Retrieved from https://www.vera.org/newsroom/press-releases/research-confirms-that-entrenched-racism-manifests-in-disparate-treatment-of-black-americans-in-criminal-justice-system