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Belen Altamirano
Mrs. Gardner
English 10H
3 May 2017
Racial discrimination in the criminal justice system has cost many their lives and targeted people
because of their skin color and race; according to an article in the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, by
Bonczar, About 1 in 3 black males, 1 in 6 Hispanic males, and 1 in 17 white males are expected to go to
prison(1). Racial discrimination is discrimination and prejudice towards people based on their race or
ethnicity which becomes a bigger issue when involved in the criminal justice system. Racial
discrimination is constantly around us in our everyday lives; however when it is part of the criminal
justice system it targets certain people and impacts the outcome of their lives. Innocent children and
people of color are being labeled as criminals because of their ethnicity. Although some new laws and
rules have been placed in the criminal justice system to try to fix the problem; Maryland is one of 30
states that have some type of law banning or limiting racial profiling, according to a report issued last year
by the N.A.A.C.P(Stolberg), racial discrimination is still present. The criminal justice system needs to
take action because people shouldn't have to face consequences for things they have no control over such
as color, race, and stereotypes associate with people who look like them. Although a few places have
taken action to fix discrimination in the criminal justice system, discrimination is still a big issue; racial
targeting, unequal chances, and stereotypes affect how people of color are treated in the criminal justice
system.
Many would argue that racial discrimination is not what determines whether or not people are
targeted, and it is because of the crimes those people commit that place them in such difficult situations.
In an article posted on the Wall Street Journal, Heather Mac Donald states, Harvard economics professor
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Roland G. Fryer Jr., analyzing more than 1,000 officer-involved shootings across the country, reports that
there is zero evidence of racial bias in police shootings (Mac Donald). This strengthens the idea that
racial discrimination does not play a role in police shootings and therefore also emphasizes how there is
no proof that there is racial discrimination in the criminal justice system. Furthermore, by law, officers
cannot use ethnicity and race in making decisions as police (Stolberg). To sum up, many people believe
that because there is no evidence of racial discrimination and because of the laws put up to protect people
from racial discrimination racial discrimination is no longer an issue in the criminal justice system.
Certainly it might seem like racial discrimination in the criminal justice system has been taken care of;
however, statistics show that the majority of people that are targeted by the criminal justice system are
people of color who struggle much more once pulled into the criminal justice system, and the stereotypes
associated with their race and color affect how they are mistreated by the same system that is supposed to
be protecting them.
Admittedly, certain measuressuch as lawshave been placed to put an end to inequality in the
criminal justice system because of the racial discrimination. Needless to say, the statistics and other
research done on discrimination in the criminal justice system reveal that discrimination still plays a big
In 2016, 963 people were shot and killed by police, according to an ongoing Washington Post
investigation. Forty-one percent of them - 392 - were black or Latino. Together, the two groups
account for 30.9 percent of the nation's population. Unarmed black men were overrepresented.
Black males continued to represent a disproportionate share of those: 33 percent of the unarmed
people killed in 2016 were black males, although they are 6 percent of the population. (Ross)
The Bureau of Justice Statistics explains how more blacks and Hispanics have served time in prison than
whites have (Bonczar). As a Hispanic I have personally seen and experienced racial discrimination. I
remember as a child my family was frightened by the police, the same people who are supposed to make
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us feel safe, because nothing good ever happened to us when they were involved. My mother one day saw
a police and made that best stop she could at a stop sign, after her stop she continued on her way but
noticed the police car following her, after about two blocks he pulled her over because she had not done
the stop properly-- the same stop she tried so hard on to do ger best-- and asked her many questions. This
is just a small example of all the racial targeting that is constantly around in our society which targets
certain people not because of what they did but because of what they look like. Racial profiling is a
practice where certain groups are identified as potential criminals based off of there color or other
people's crimes from that area even though they themselves have not committed a crime (Russell).
According to the statistics and the information on racial profiling innocent people are being targeted and
labeled as criminals despite not having committed a crime. This affects everyone in the society because
people are being taught that those of color are bad and then they too start targeting them along with the
criminal justice system. Also, Stephanie Irby Coard, an associate professor in family studies and human
developments, says, Race continues to matter in dangerous ways (Ross) , which expresses how race is
in fact a target for the criminal justice system. Not only are people of color targeted but they are also sent
to jail at much higher rates. According to the BJS, Bureau of Justice Statistics, The rate of ever having
gone to prison among adult black males (16.6%) was over twice as high as among adult Hispanic males
(7.7%) and over 6 times as high as among adult white males (2.6%) (Bonczar). These statistics reveal the
impact race and color have within the criminal justice system. Based on these sources and the research
that has been done on this topic discrimination is still an issue and an example is racial profiling. In the
end people are still targeted in the criminal justice system because of their race and color.
Not only are people of color targeted, but once they get trapped in the criminal justice system all
the discrimination makes it very difficult for them to find there way out. To illustrate, the U.S. Sentencing
Commission reported in March 2010 that for the same crime a black person would receive sentences that
are 10% longer than a white persons (Marc). Also, black and Latinospeople of color are more likely to
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go to jail(Bonczar); and they are the most discriminated which would make navigating their way through
the criminal justice system that much more unfair and injustice. Obviously, race and color play a critical
role in who the criminal justice system not only targets but also gives heavier punishments to. As a result,
those of color have a more difficult time facing the criminal justice system because of their color and race.
Ultimately, the stereotypes people have towards those of color should not determine how they are
treated and impacted by the criminal justice system which is the same system that is supposed to give
everyone justice and protection. Stereotypes link the concepts of blackness and violence (Benforado).
Not only do stereotypes towards those of color influence discrimination towards those of color, but they
also affects the way people working in the criminal justice system are raised and taught about those of
color which also affects the outcomes of those of color in the criminal justice system. For example,
stereotypes impact the effect of a person's cultural background on his assessment of the law and facts
(Benforado) which affects how the people working in the criminal justice system treat people of color or
race. Because of the way police and other officials treat people of color because of the stereotypes
associated with them, those of color feel threatened by the same people who are supposed to make them
feel protected. In an article called Blacks Learn the Nuances of a Police Encounter, author Janell Ross,
mentions how, For many black and Latino children, interactions with the police are often a terrifying rite
of passage (Ross).
The criminal justice system is full of discrimination: those of color are being targeted, those of
color are not treated fairly by the criminal justice system, and those of color are being hurt by the same
system that is supposed to protect them because the the stereotypes associated with their race and color.
Discrimination in the criminal justice system targets people of color and affects how they are treated in
society because the criminal justice system labels them as potential criminals. Make a change; people
should not have to pay a price for what they have no control over such as race and color; race and color
are no excuse for there to be so much discrimination in the criminal justice system.
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Works Cited
Benforado, Adam. "Flawed Humans, Flawed Justice." New York Times. 14 Jun, 2015, pp. SR.5, SIRS
Bonczar, Thomas B. "Prevalence of Imprisonment in the U.S. Population." Social Service Review 79.2
https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/piusp01.pdf.
Mac Donald, Heather. "Time to End the Demonizing of Police." Wall Street Journal, 13 Jul, 2016, pp.
Mauer, Marc. "The Impact of Mandatory Minimum Penalties in Federal Sentencing." United States
Sentencing Commission. The Sentencing Project, 18 Aug. 2016. Web. 30 Apr. 2017,
http://www.ussc.gov/.
Mendoza, Jessica. "Police Shootings on Social Media: Why some Black People Believe.." Christian
Ross, Janell. "Blacks Learn the Nuances of a Police Encounter." Washington Post, 04 Jan, 2017, pp. A.1,
Russell, Thaddeus. "No Way Out." Reason, Feb, 2017, pp. 58-62, SIRS Issues Researcher,
https://sks.sirs.com.
Stolberg, Sheryl G. "Maryland Restricts Racial Profiling in New Guidelines for Law.." New York Times,