Poor people are more likely to live in areas with higher crime rates, which could lead to more arrests. Additionally, poor people may not have access to the same resources and opportunities as those who are rich, which could lead to a higher likelihood of engaging in criminal activity. The criminal justice system is often biased against poor people. For example, judges are more likely to apply harsher sentences on people who can’t afford to pay for a good lawyer or who come from poor neighborhoods. Additionally, poor people may be more likely to be stopped and searched by police, which causes a lot more arrests. People of the lower class are more likely to be arrested than those of the higher class. The poor aren’t able to afford lawyers, are …show more content…
Another reason why people of color are treated unfairly by the justice system is that they might not have access to the same resources as whites. According to the report by the Sentencing Project, “people of color are most likely to be poor and have limited access to quality legal representation, which can result in more severe sentences.” (Sentencing Project 2021)This quote shows how poverty can have a direct impact on a person’s ability to navigate the criminal justice system. To conclude, the bias against people who are poor in the criminal justice system is a serious problem that has far-reaching …show more content…
The United States has a criminal justice system that is often biased against people who are poor. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, “the criminal justice system in the United States is biased against the poor from the beginning to the end.”(ACLU, 2010) This shows that it's more difficult for people who are poor to get through the system and get a fair result. In addition, people who are poor are most likely to be arrested because they get misunderstood by judges, cops, and lawyers. The Brennan Center for Justice stated “Poverty is a significant predictor of whether someone will be imprisoned” (BCJ, 2016) This proved that poverty can have a direct impact on one’s ability to guide through the justice system. They highlight the fact that people who aren’t wealthy will be addressed by the court and will be blamed. In conclusion, prejudice against people of color that are poor is a very serious issue and causes many deaths and
Kamalu, Ngozi Caleb, Margery Coulson-Clark, and Nkechi Margaret Kamalu. " Racial Disparities in Sentencing: Implications for the Criminal Justice System and the African American Community." African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies: AJCJS 4.1 (2010): 1-31. ProQuest.
Issues of Social and Economic Justice Throughout my experience in the Panhandle Promise Project, I had the opportunity to closely examine the injustice many of the clients experience based on their race, economic status, or in the criminal justice system. Since the starting of America’s war on drugs longer sentencing for drug offences that in violent crimes, there has been an increase of the number of minorities who are currently in prison (Wormer, Kaplan, and Juby (2012). For the children having a parent incarcerated affects them in several different ways, such as having a higher risk of being place in foster care (Andersen and Wildeman, 2014) , poor school performance (Eddy et al., 2014), food insecurity (Turney, 2014c), antisocial behavioral problems (Jarjoura et al., 2011f). For women who have been release from prison new barriers limit the assistance they will received, the ineligibility for food stamps (Travis, 2002), and in some cases the loss of their children custody (Welsh, 2014b).
Many cases have shown people with higher social status to have an upper hand in cases. While the poor and minorities get the lower hand. Being poor means the victim/suspect might not be able to afford a strong defense for themselves, or they’ll receive a public defender. While public defenders are needed and appreciated, being able to afford a lawyer from a million dollar law firm will surely make a difference. Sometimes having an ordinary public defender means the defendant/plaintiff may not be taken as seriously.
America’s criminal justice system is racially biased and influenced due to the fact that the punishment a person gets is not related to the crime that 's done, funds that help African
Discrimination and racial disparities exist at every phase of the U.S. criminal justice system, especially when it comes to sentencing. The United States incarcerates more people than any other country in the world, as there are over 2 million people imprisoned today. The drawing is a visual representation of my annotated bibliography. In it, I stated that the criminal justice system is broken, as it discriminates against people of color. The left side of the illustration depicts the scene of the courtroom during the trial of a white defendant.
Disparities in the criminal justice system are in part a function of the interrelationship between race and class and reflect the disadvantages faced by low-income defendants. This can be seen most prominently in regard to the quality of defense
African Americans are more likely to be arrested, convicted, and sentenced to harsher penalties compared to their white counterparts for similar offenses. The over-policing of African American communities, racial profiling, and biased sentencing practices contribute to the lack of opportunities and a cycle of incarceration. Reforming the criminal justice system by addressing racial bias, implementing alternatives to incarceration, and focusing on rehabilitation can help create a more equitable society and provide opportunities for individuals to reintegrate successfully into their
Prosecutors and judges know the conditions that most of these minorities face and appear to be willing to aid in their rehabilitation for a greater cause. This offer helps to rebuild relationships with the communities that have become distrusting of the criminal justice system. Prosecutors are well aware of the poverty that exist within minority communities and they have extended the hand of help for all minorities due to the socioeconomic conditions that all minorities face in society today. When racial minorities are given the opportunity for sentence reduction that shows the courts are trying to alleviate the burden that sentencing puts on families and the community. Kamalu, N. C., Coulson -Clark, M., & Kamalu, N. M. (2010).
Discriminatory sentencing is another example of systemic racism within the criminal justice system. Studies have consistently found that people of color are more likely to receive harsher sentences than white individuals who have committed similar crimes (Mauer & King, 2007). These disparities are not explained by differences in criminal behavior or past criminal records, but rather by the implicit bias
Not only are the outcomes of these felon disenfranchisement laws racist, but they are also classist. It is not news to many that the criminal justice system of the U.S. has many loopholes for rich people to pay their way out of jail time. The wealthy can afford top lawyers, pay bail, pay fines, and live in neighborhoods less frequently patrolled by the police. Defense lawyers for felony crimes can cost anywhere from $1000 to $2500 a day, and bail and fines are not on a sliding scale based off of income (NOLO, 2010). For an impoverished individual making only $1500 a month, the financial obstacles to fighting a winnable court case make conviction nearly inevitable.
Racial Disparities in the American Criminal Justice System Introduction The United States criminal justice system is the largest in the world. In 2015, there were more than 6.7 million people under some form of correctional control within the United States, including 2.2 million incarcerated in federal, state, or local prisons and jails. By being the world leader in incarceration rates, the United States eclipses the rate of any other nation. These statistics from “The Sentencing Project” emphasize the significance of mass incarceration in America and the racial inequality that takes form in its criminal justice system.
For example, according to the Equal Justice Initiative, 95% of convicts languishing on death row in the United States come from underprivileged backgrounds. Their court-appointed lawyers often don’t have the means to expedite the DNA or ballistics tests that could unravel the prosecution’s case. (Bellivier) Bryan Stevenson from the NGO Equal Justice Initiative later goes on to say that, “We have a system of justice that treats you better if you’re rich and guilty than if you’re poor and innocent” (Bellivier). The death penalty should be abolished because it discriminates against those of lower class and different races and causes too many innocent people to end up in prison.
A study conducted by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services undertaking claims of sentencing disparities studies the felony sentencing outcomes particularly in New York courts between the years 1990 and 1992. Astonishingly, the study concluded that approximately one-third of minorities sentenced to prison would have received a shorter sentence with the possibility of a non-incarcerative penalty if they had been treated similarly to their white counterparts. Consequently, other sentencing data is consistent with the results of this study’s findings. On a national scale, black males specifically, who were convicted of drug felonies in state courts 52 percent of the time, while white males typically receive prison sentencing approximately 34 percent of the time. In addition, these figures are not constrained to gender given the similar ratio among black and white women as well.
For instance, the criminal justice system, with its focus on punishment and exclusion rather than rehabilitation, hinders the ability of those affected to participate fully in the economic and political life of the country. This, in turn, has significant implications for other social institutions, such as families, schools, and communities. Alexander argues that the new caste system operates by taking advantage of the public's fear of crime and the media's portrayal of people of color as inherently criminal. By perpetuating this false narrative, the criminal justice system is able to maintain its status quo, with people of color as the primary victims.
The United States prides itself on being a country of opportunities where the underprivileged can rise up and everyone is treated equally, but is that really the case? In reality the income of an individual gives them advantages of going above the system. The sociological explanation of the influence of the wealthy over the criminal justice system is described in the of the Pyrrhic defeat theory written in Jeffrey Reiman and Paul Leighton book The Rich Get Richer and the Poor get Prison Ideology, class and Criminal Justice. The Pyrrhic defeat theory emphasizes the failure of the criminal justice is the consequence of success for those in power, who are taking advantage of the system.