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Belen Altamirano

Mrs. Gardner

English 10H

3 May 2017

Colors Corrupting the Criminal Justice System

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

role and targets those of color:

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

Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

Bonczar, Thomas B. "Prevalence of Imprisonment in the U.S. Population." Social Service Review 79.2

(2005): 368-71. Bureau of Justice Statistics. 2001. Web. 30 Apr. 2017,

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.

A.15, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com

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

Science Monitor, 13 Oct, 2016, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

Ross, Janell. "Blacks Learn the Nuances of a Police Encounter." Washington Post, 04 Jan, 2017, pp. A.1,

SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

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,

26 Aug, 2015, pp. A.10, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.