Bias In The Criminal Justice System Essay

397 Words2 Pages

There is a lot of room for concern when reflecting on the imbalances in the American Criminal Justice System. We can begin with the number of African American and Hispanic males in the justice system referring to arrest, pretrial release, convictions, sentencing and recidivism, the numbers just do not reflect the population. The American Bar Association reported that ten point one percent of minority judges make up the state supreme courts, intermediate appellate courts and trial courts of general jurisdiction. When reducing those numbers to reference specific minorities, five point nine percent are African American which represents the most significant portion of the minorities, Latino/as accounted for two point eight percent. When separated by gender females were significantly …show more content…

However, eliminating bias in the courtroom setting may be achieved faster through strict regulation codes rather than attempting education and alter prejudicial views (Riger et al., 1995). Those are very disheartening figures when thinking about how many different cultures and ethnicities make up a country as diverse as the United States. It is imperative that the U.S. develop law institutions that unite culturally different groups and defend human rights. By diversifying the courtroom personnel, in the criminal justice system. The system becomes an advocate for cultural sensitivity and the understanding of various issues that are conveyed in the courtroom (McNamara & Burns, 2009). With varying the courtroom players, it gives the ability to heighten the awareness of the actual concerns and not the just what is on the surface. As minority groups observe the diversification of the courtroom, it will raise the feelings of legitimacy and release a sense of apprehension, as the courtrooms have places where discrimination has been heavily practiced (McNamara & Burns,