ipl-logo

Racism In The Criminal Justice System

1592 Words7 Pages

When one thinks of racism, images of slavery or 1960s Jim Crow South may come to mind. On the contrary, racism is still present today and possibly more rampant than most may realize. Racism is defined as "the generalized and final assigning of values to real or imaginary differences, to the accuser 's benefit and at his victim 's expense, in order to justify the former 's own privileges or aggression" (Memmi 173). Over the course of history, there has been major progress in terms racial equality. Unlike the previous century, non-white American citizens have access to the same rights and opportunities to vote, get an education, and pursue a career, as their white counterparts in accordance to today 's laws and Constitution. However, the issue …show more content…

Stereotypes also play a huge role in the law enforcement. Due to stereotypes that black or latino people are more prone to commit crimes, racial profiling is common among police officers. Numerous cases of police brutality and statistics revealing a biased justice system raises concerns about the reliability of the nation 's authorities. Zillah Eisenstein connects racism to physical bodies in Beyond Borders by explaining that "racism uses the physicality of bodies to punish, to expunge, and isolate certain bodies and construct them as outsiders" (Eisenstein). Many officers tend to convict minorities more often than whites according to this same logic. They construct "black" appearing individuals as more likely to commit crime and as a result, it has been found in reports that "police shoot and kill blacks almost twice as frequently as any other racial group" (Rosenfeld). Less than two years ago, Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson shot unarmed black teen Michael Brown, who many claimed did not pose immediate threat. Darren Wilson was able to evade conviction of second-degree murder because "grand jury instructions in Missouri, which are read to the panel before it decides whether to press charges, allow police to use deadly force if the officer believes it is 'immediately necessary '" (Rosenfeld). Those that look like Michael Brown are at a disadvantage because the law tends to side with police officers regardless of who was truly at fault. Situations like this …show more content…

Politicians are arguably among the most influential figures of the nation. This year 's election unknowingly precipitated an ongoing discussion on race. GOP front-runner Donald Trump sparks controversy for his anti-Islam and anti-illegal immigration sentiments. These rally speeches with stereotypical undertones tend to promote violence in his rallies. An article by Lucia Graves recalls numerous accounts of violence in which black protestors or immigration activists were punched, kicked, or attacked by other Trump supporters. In addition, Trump openly justified these aggressive acts against protesters as somewhat necessary by stating, "We 've had some violent people as protesters" (Graves). Trump has elicited a strong response from his supporters, propagating negative sentiments towards the created out-group of Muslims and Latinos. By dismissing or remaining in denial on the issue, he is unknowingly condoning the continuation of aggression and polarization among voters. Heedlessly promoting the overgeneralization of groups like Muslims and Mexicans serves as yet another obstacle in the way of a post-racial society. Opponents may argue that today 's millennials are bringing promise of a post-racial society. When asked which political figure they respected the most, "Thirty-one percent Americans aged 18 to 26 rate Sanders the highest" compared to Donald Trump at nine percent (Walsh). Sanders, a Democratic Socialist, is claimed to represent more tolerant and

Show More
Related
956 Words | 4 Pages

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

Read More
466 Words | 2 Pages

This continued nuisance is even very present and notable within our laws and law enforcement departments, an issue largely due to the “failure to address structural racism and [building] on the compromises of the 1960s civil rights pacts” (Bazian 43). Unsurprisingly, Trump was not the first president to use racist and negative rhetoric when referring to a minority; President Reagan’s attacked African American “welfare mothers.” A more liberal president, Clinton, then adopted this sentiment. These sentiments were translated into policies that affected African American, thus showing the deep presence of racism within our political and governmental structure. Overall, Professor Bazian explored the issues that rise when people (i.e. African Americans and Muslims) are seen as out of the ordinary vis-à-vis the European

Read More
537 Words | 3 Pages

Donald Trump has been sweeping the nation in his efforts to win the Republican presidential nomination. When the media trains its lens on Trump, the country appears to be “roiled with across-the-board discontent” (Dionne). His public interactions have split the country into those who categorize themselves as the “silent majority” and those who react with complete dismay toward his radical propositions. But are Trump supporters really the “silent majority”, or are the voices of Conservatives “being amplified beyond all reason” (Dionne)? In E.J. Dionne Jr.’s editorial titled “Don’t Fall for the Media Distortion about Trump”, the popularity of Trump is questioned and analyzed based on the media’s portrayal of his political race.

Read More
1066 Words | 5 Pages

White moderates argue that King’s actions trigger violence, despite their peaceful nature. King responds confidently, “But is this a logical assertion? Isn’t this like condemning a robbed man because his possession of money precipitated the evil act of robbery?” (7). King’s application of rhetorical questions makes the audience question the legitimacy of the white moderates claim because King challenges their illogical logic.

Read More
1053 Words | 5 Pages

Matthew Desmond and Mustafa Emirbayer (2009:342) argue in the Du Bois Review that “racism is much broader than violence and epithets” and reveals itself in common, everyday microaggressions. In May 2010, a string of assaults on elderly citizens of Asian descent by black individuals transpired in the San Francisco Bay area (Shih 2010). CBS San Francisco ran a segment covering the attacks featuring an interview with a 21-year-old black man named Amanze Emenike, who had a criminal history of juvenile robbery and theft (CBS 2012). CBS uses Emenike’s history as a basis for theorizing the motives driving the black attackers in the May 2010 attacks. This news segment sheds light on troubling portrayals of black men and people of color in mass media as all being dangerous criminals, as well as the stereotypes fueling racism amongst minority groups.

Read More
1076 Words | 5 Pages

Themes of hypocrisy, greed and racism are present in our lives all too often. In the past year, we witnessed hypocrisy on the nationwide stage of our presidential election. We let the top ten percent of wealthiest families control 76 percent of the money in America while the lower half of families controlled one percent (Sahadi, CNN Money*). And finally, we tolerated unprecedented racism in the forms of racially targeted police brutality and the retaliation that followed. For 2016, it was easy to see the vile themes of hypocrisy, greed and racism present on the news and in social media.

Read More
819 Words | 4 Pages

Trump took the role of the victim and dismantled the immigration system in the name of a slogan: “Make America Great Again.” This is his ideology; his constituency chooses to analyze the issue of immigration through this lense rather than grappling with the issue as a whole, asking critical questions, and determining the best solution. This cycle occurs because people live in a myth of sacrifice, wherein individuals are spiteful because of their mimetic desires. Mimetic rivalry inspires violence which motivates people to unify and blame a scapegoat.

Read More
1627 Words | 7 Pages

In an effort to persuade Americans, especially those in the St. Louis region, the Editorial Board provides imagery to invoke a reaction from the reader. They set the tone by quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his use of the term “White America,” which raises questions on the word choice. “White America” provokes a feeling of surprise, striking people as to the meaning behind the phrase, as being a country dominated by white Americans who hold the majority of economic and social power. While the reader’s thoughts are still focused on how appropriate or inappropriate the phrase might be, the editor acknowledges this sense of unease and takes that opportunity to strike emotions again, with “it’s no more jarring than the image of a cop in body armor training his sniper rifle through a cloud of tear gas on young, black protestors” (Editorial Board, para 6). This imagery creates a sense of sadness and could lead to anger, as it directly targets “young black protesters” as the victims of the malicious acts of

Read More
562 Words | 3 Pages

to pay tuition.” Actions like this show the ignorance of citizens in America that refuse to show fairness to the colored. Also, a white nationalist rally occurred right after the recent incident in Charlottesville on August 12, 2017. As told by the New York Mag, “20-year-old white nationalist James Alex Fields, plowed his car into a group of counterprotestors, killing one person, 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring 19.” Events like this represent the violent acts and hatred of America hasn’t left and is still current

Read More
1317 Words | 6 Pages

Race is “A social category defined on the basis of physical characteristics” (Yetman, p.3). Race is a abstract concept that society has constructed to group people based on their physical appearance. Institutional racism is an covert form of discrimination, but historically institutional racism was overt. My focus is on the Muslim and black community in America, because I relate to these two groups since I am muslim and black.

Read More
287 Words | 2 Pages

An institutional racism still faced both past and present can be found in incarceration and racial profiling. Our prison populations have skyrocketed since the 80 's and there is a disproportionate amount of black and Latino individuals who are incarcerated. Between New York’s stop and frisk policies and the insurmountable amounts of unarmed black and Latino men who are shot by police the discrimination by the police and law enforcement is clearly evident. Although black and Latino drivers are less likely than white to be carrying drug and other contraband the majority of car pulled over are the cars of black and Latino divers. The racial profiling is just one reason for the disproportionate black and Latino prison population.

Read More
1312 Words | 6 Pages

Shockingly, Trump’s desires to deport over eleven million illegal immigrants has not boded well with minorities. His views on immigration are sending minorities and people of color to vote for anybody besides Trump. Trump’s male-dominated backing is severely lacking in the acceptance of women, especially women of color and mothers, this is due to his tendency towards vulgarity and demeaning generalities of certain races (some refer to this as

Read More
897 Words | 4 Pages

In the most recent years following the death of Michael Brown, “America has seen its share of racial disquiet” (Myers, Margaret) With Brown's death by the hands of a white police officer came weeks of protesting for the imprisonment of the police officer who shot and killed him and “drew attention to a brand new civil rights campaign for the modern era: Black Lives Matter.” (Myers, Margaret) With the uprise of the civil rights campaign “Black Lives Matter” there was a increase of “enlightened” citizens who once believed that race relations in America was frictionless and improving to now seeing that there are a lot of issues that are being swept under the rug by politicians and social media. A study was taking by regular American citizens about basic topics of equality in America and their thoughts about it. The study showed that “56 percent of African Americans and 31 percent of whites” believe that the media hasn't brought enough attention to racial issues in America.

Read More
1125 Words | 5 Pages

Today in class, we discussed a topic that is deeply engraved in American history yet widely avoided by many: race. More specifically, terms like “racist,” “All Lives Matter,” and “white privilege,” which may make some people uncomfortable but more than ever, need to be confronted and examined. We watched several videos containing a variety of people discussing their own personal thoughts and feelings on such terms to spark our own conversations on the same topics. After viewing the first video on the word “racist,” I began to reflect on my own actions towards other people.

Read More
1198 Words | 5 Pages

Racism: a curse for the society INTRODUCTION:- "Racism is an ideology that gives expression to myths about other racial and ethnic groups that devalues and renders inferior those groups that reflects and is perpetuated by deeply rooted historical, social, cultural and power inequalities in society." Racism is one of the oldest truth around the world .Racism, is said to be as old as the human society. Racism is nothing but only the belief that all members of each race possess the characteristics, abilities, or qualities which are specific to that race, especially, so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races. And this differentiation change the people’s mentality and bring death among themselves.

Read More

More about Racism In The Criminal Justice System

Related Topics

Open Document