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1987 Myth Of The Racist Criminal Justice System

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According to a report by the state of Washington, the answer seems to be no. For those convicted in trafficking drugs, offenders are almost always charged with the most serious (in the case of multiple charges). Usually, in order to facilitate a plea, the charges will be reduced. Whether or not the defendant pleads guilty at the trial is one of the most important elements in sentencing.

Circumstances of the arrest are just as important. The variable is whether the trafficker was arrested in the course of a sting or stake-out operation. These are usually more serious charges. Charges will not be reduced in the case of an undercover operation, since intent is so blatantly clear. The report states:

"The findings of greatest importance to this study are those regarding the effects of race and ethnicity. Controlling for the arresting offense, and other legal and non-legal factors, we have found no …show more content…

He argues in several different ways. First, there is a correlation between crime and the belief that you will not be treated fairly by the system. This is self-perpetuation. Media bias creates racial disturbances. For example, in 1980, white policemen killed a black biker in Florida, the media reported over and again that the prosecution's case was a lock. They lost, and a riot ensued. As it turns out, Florida media had no evidence whatsoever that the prosecution had a strong case, and created their reports for the exclusive purpose of creating racial tension and sensationalization.

Secondly, he argues that all races commit crimes of race, yet, even blacks are often willing to give whites a break more than other blacks. Many decision makers in the justice system have a tendency to favor blacks over whites. There is no overall reason to hold that, in terms of courtroom procedure, one race is privileged over another. He argues in addition that proving one way or another is

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Racism and racial discrimination has been a major issue in the U.S. since the colonial periods, where people have been treated differently only based upon their race. Although the civil rights movement opposed racial discrimination, the act of stereotyping individuals still continues till this day. Racial profiling by law enforcement is commonly defined as a practice that targets people for suspicion of crime based on their race, religion or national origin. A recent case, involving a young black man named Michael Brown is an example of how a police officer may act differently when facing an African American. “Ferguson Grand Jury Evidence Reveals Mistakes, Holes In Investigation” is an article written by Jason Cherkis’s and published on November

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Hence, Zimmerman’s actions against Martin are far from surprising. They seem rather to be a logical consequence of existing growing prejudice and acceptance of racial profiling. Having raised this problem, Charles Blow also pointed to the question how race influences people’s perception of criminal danger. Apparently, George Zimmerman perceived danger in the situation with Trayvon Martin. Defining the level of danger may be caused within the context of decisions about walking at night or crossing to a sidewalk.

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This verdict cause moral unrest amongst many people because it begged the question of whether or not the verdict would be the same had Trayvon Martin been white and George Zimmerman been black (Ford 2013). The privilege one receives by being white is a phenomenon that is still being studied but it is common knowledge that being white is often subconsciously seen as automatically having power and success, a privilege that minorities do not have (Ford 2013). The white privilege in the Trayvon Martin trial was clear and caused an outcry for justice, resulting in the Black Lives Matter movement, and while it created this affect amongst black Americans it made many white Americans deflect their guilt. The trial and the resulting criticisms of the verdict shows how the concept of racial privilege amongst white people creates feelings of insecurity which result in using the defence mechanism of rationalization to ease their worries. Their motivational influence to feel good about themselves, which is not a desire limited to only white people, allows them to justify their status quo by derogating the less privileged.

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Another claim is that African Americans are overrepresented as criminals in the news. Therefore, the news expresses “fear” to the white community toward black communities.

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Regardless of the decisions made by the courts and the evidence available to the public, it is easy to blame the situation at hand on racism. However, according to the statistics relayed on The Juvenile and Criminal-Justice Center website, the stance leaning towards law enforcement bias towards black men, does not hold. These reports state that police killed 123 blacks. On the other hand, these reports also published that the same group of offenders killed 326 whites. That being said, what about the Michael Brown case has elicited such a violent and nation-wide response?

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