Examples Of Racism And Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

Today, there are not as many flaws in the justice system as in the 1900s; however, the criminal justice system is still far from perfect or ideal. There are many inequities within the criminal justice system because of racism, gender bias, and social class. During the Great Depression, many cases were proved to be favored white males in better social and economic classes. This problem has remained unresolved even now in the 2000s. Racism, classism, and gender bias have been a problem for centuries; however, they have yet to be fixed or even addressed in societies and politics worldwide. The author of the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee, has shown a prime example of mainly racism in the criminal justice system. Racism and prejudice is

Racism and prejudice are equally common themes in To Kill A Mockingbird. The book’s author, Harper Lee, displays the inequality many people of color face regarding the law and court. As shown in the book, juries usually consist mainly of white males. This is an issue because they are prejudiced against people of color, leading them to vote against them just because of their skin color. This bias can and usually does ruin people's lives, even the innocent ones. Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of rape, pays the ultimate price he should not have just because he is not white. Mayella Ewell accused Tom Robinson of raping her, knowing she only needed weak proof to send him to jail. “‘Did not call a doctor?’ ‘No sir,’ repeated Mr. Tate. ‘Why not?’ There was an edge to Atticus’s voice. ‘Well I can tell you why I did not. It was not necessary, Mr Finch.” (Lee 191). This interaction between Atticus and the sheriff, Mr. Tate, shows how the court sided with Mayella even though her only proof was being bruised up and two witnesses. Tom does not have witnesses and people on his side as Mayella does. Atticus is essentially Tom’s only hope of getting justice; however, he is not enough. “How do you know?’ Mr. Tate grinned.

Stereotypes are everywhere. Just like black Americans are stereotyped to always be associated with violent crimes, females are stereotyped as only committing non-violent and “small” crimes, like shoplifting, if they even tried to commit a crime. However, men are associated with more violent crimes. Sexism is another considerable inequality in the criminal justice system. Melissa Thompson researched this topic and found that “...the likelihood of mental health placement significantly increases if female prisoners engage in prison violence and/ or other role-incongruent aggressive acts (Baskin et al. 1989). In contrast, male inmates who participate in similar acts (but ones that were role-congruent) are placed in disciplinary confinement” (Thompson). This study shows how females, if they acted violently, would be labeled as “mentally ill.” But if men acted in the same way, they would be marked as “criminals.” Classism also makes the criminal justice system unfair. Since some people cannot afford good lawyers, they are often assigned a lawyer that might be less educated and experienced. If a defendant without a good lawyer goes to court against another with a good lawyer, the person with the better lawyer almost always wins. This is an example of classism. Classism is discrimination against lower classes, which includes poorer families. Wealthier families tend to have much