Incarceration of Minorities Compared to The Whites
Student’s Name
Instructor’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
17th. November 2020
Why I Chose My Topic
Many issues are going around in the states and globally that relate to the field of criminal justice. When one is told to choose a topic of discussion in the field of criminal justice, there are lots of choices they may settle on. My decision to choose this topic, “Incarceration of Minorities compared to the whites.” was motivated by two factors with several elements, that is, passion and interest. This topic seems to discuss the subject of criminal justice and goes ahead to incorporate the other critical subjects in the society; racial disparities and inequality. Research in this topic could help answer many questions in society as well as fixing several social problems.
One of the major problems being dealt with currently in the States and the global platform of criminal justice is the issues of equality and completely eradicating the question of discrimination. In this struggle, the African-Americans have come out to be the target, and the key objective is finding them a solution to ensure they also enjoy fairness. Choosing this topic would help conduct further research on the subject and even find answers to the many questions that have come up relating to the topic. I have always had a passion for learning more about the problems the minorities get to face and come up with the solution. This topic points to some gap in the system that would bring a substantial crisis if not looked into keenly.
In general, I chose this topic because it would give me some solid basis from where I would come up with convincing answers about the crisis facing society as it relates to the problem. It is quite interesting that there could be a gap in the criminal justice system, the place where the public depends on for justice. I, therefore, want to learn more about the possibilities and the reasons why the number of minorities like the African-Americans and Hispanics is quite higher, sometimes double the number of whites in the prisons. The research on this subject would give the necessary recommendations to enhance the lives of the people.
Introduction
There have been reports of the number of African-Americans being incarcerated or in prison being significantly higher than their white counterparts. The United States criminal justice system has been reported to be the largest in the world. In 2015 alone, data from the system indicated that over 2.2 million people were reported to be incarcerated in the state, local, or federal prisons and jails. The figure is so high, and it would be expected of any country with such a large criminal justice system. One of the interesting things about this huge number of people in either correctional control of in some form of incarceration is that there is a question of racial disparity. In the United States, the chances of African Americans being arrested, convicted and experiencing lengthy sentences of jail terms are way higher than their white counterparts.
When comparing the rates of the blacks against whites in prison with the number of the two groups’ general population, it is quite astonishing. Every year, the number continues to rise significantly, indicating differences in states on the incarceration for the blacks and whites. There are states where the figures are so high like in New York. The obvious truth that I already know about this topic is that the blacks are being exposed to some harsh judgement which makes them end up under police custody.
This topic raises so many questions that I would like to research further and know more about. First is the reason why the numbers of incarceration are different based on a racial basis. The country is using a uniform legal or criminal justice system, which therefore is the explanation behind the difference in the figures and rates in the racial lines. The United States is one country that seems to proclaim racial equality, what therefore is the cause of this problem that seems to bring disparity between the citizens.
The other area I want to know more about is if there are some form of gender issues that arise about the criminal justice system. I believe the United States is one of the most powerful countries in the world, and at some point, it is considered the most civilized. The question people would ask when they hear of this issue would be when did they start? It is important to get a clear picture of these issues and its origin. This will make it so important for society to come up with a sound solution or mechanism to solve the problem. An issue like this one of the disparities in the country on the racial lines could be a ticking time bomb and may affect the peace and stability in the country.
My hypothesis which will be directing this research, therefore, is what exactly causes the differences or the disparities in the incarceration between the black and the whites. When the figures and rates are compared. There is a need to look into the discussions on the policies that are being put in place in the States to ensure there are no partisan activities in the criminal justice system. When one looks into this issue in an overview, there has been some concern in the recent times about police brutality among the blacks which in some way seems to explain the rising numbers of incarceration of the African Americans as compared to the whites in the United States. The “Black Lives Matter” campaign is one of the current events that has brought about the crisis in the criminal justice system. It is one of the clear indications that there is a substantial crisis in society in relation to justice for all races in American society.
There is a great change crisis in the society in the issues that relate to criminal justice as the blacks seem to be going through substantial persecution in the hands of the law enforcement agencies. It is important to look into this issue and try to figure out how it has resulted to the disparity in the system, and the African Americans make the majority of the people who are found in the hands of the law enforcement authorities.
Searching
Many sources have been at the fore front in publishing the issues relating to this crucial criminal justice subject of concern in the United States. One of the major sources that have covered this issue exclusively is the Pew Research Centre. In the article, the source basically explains the gradual decline in the size of the gap between the blacks and the whites in the prisons. Over the years, the blacks have been way above the whites in the population of the United States prisons. There is an unhealthy relationship between the black communities and the law enforcement authorities. This seems to answer the question of why there are so many of them in the prisons. The criminal justice system seems to get so many cases of crime that are associated with blacks. These cases are given more attention than those relating to whites.
The policies that have been put in place by the law enforcement authorities like the police seem to target the African Americans the most. This gets into the brains of these people and makes them to view the authorities more like enemies than allies. This is one of the reasons that have been given by most of the articles that explain the higher ratio of African Americans in the incarceration than the whites. The crime rate in society depends significantly on the relationship between the team that has been put in place to prevent them and the people who have been targeted. The fight against crime in the United States for some years have appeared to be targeting or profiling the blacks. Many political leaders during the campaigns always touch on the rights of the blacks in society. This means that this is an issue that has been there for years. When politicians talk about it means that it is something that can actually be changed by adjusting the policy (Richard and Krajewski, p.8)
The geographical data also touches on something so vital for the security and the safety of society. The level of education among minorities in the United States is another key factor that could be causing this crisis. Lack of proper education system for the minorities makes it challenging for them to secure good jobs that can pay their bills and basic needs. When they do not find the jobs, they want because of the poor education that does not meet the bare minimum job requirement, they resort to crime as their only way of paying their bills and other human, financial needs. This is different from the whites who make up the majority because they seem to have access to a better education system which make them secure well-paying jobs. The population composition of these two groups is one of the factors that explain the incarceration disparities.
The Felony probation caseloads can also give a perfect explanation to this, trend that comes out in the American society and the criminal justice system crisis. A comparison of the data clearly indicates that the cases are greater. Statistical data indicate that in 1986 alone, there was three times more case of the whites with felony probation as they were in prison. This was so different from what was there statistically about the whites, in every 24 blacks, there were only 9 who were not in prison and instead in felony probation. There are specific states that have different data, but generally in the United States, there were more blacks who were in prisons than those on felony probation as compared to the whites. One fact that comes out in this is that the cases that involved the blacks were handled with some form of ruthlessness in the criminal justice system than the Whites.
Findings
In the process of conducting this study and the related searches, several findings have been established. Most of them seem to explain the fact that these trends in the racial bias that relate to the minorities being mistreated are a result of some bias in the system and a crisis that follow the traditional trend in the society.
There are some historical trends in the incarceration of the minority as compared to the whites in the society. The general criminal justice service in New York specifically seem to indicate that there are substantial similarities in the system and the treatment of the African American felony offenders. The figures between the 1970s and 1980s indicate that the minorities are more likely to be slapped with prison or jail terns that they were likely to receive the fines and probation. It is, therefore, a trend that has been there for years, and the current state is basically a continuation of the trend.
The facts about the disparities are open to many interpretations based on different points of arguments. Different groups have used the data to support the fact that there are some elements of racial bias in the country. There is a substantial relationship between inequalities and criminal justice in the American community. Several questions come up when these issues are mentioned, for example poverty, crime, arrest rates or social deprivation? This issue is a little complex, and research studies that have been conducted on the same indicate that racial bias is the major factor leading to this crisis.
One argument state that the blacks or the other racially minor groups make the larger percentage of the incarceration than the whites because they seem to commit more crimes. The statistical data from the criminal justice statistics with the support of the National Institute of Justice have indicated that the cases being reported about crimes committed by the blacks are actually higher as compared to the whites. There is the theory that the blacks are imprisoned mainly because of the nature of the offences they commit.
The other finding in this research is minorities are accused of crimes more than the whites, and at the end of it they are charged of the crimes making them more subjects of the incarceration. The cases of incarceration originate from people committing crime which results to them being charged and convicted of the same. It is clear that race makes substantial difference in the processes of criminal justice operations. The minorities are charged with more serious crimes that legally have more radicle and strong sentences. This has been established to be one of the reasons why they end up in the incarceration more than the whites (Sentencing Project, p.18)
There is clear indication in the system that the policies in the united states does not support the defence poor people in the country. Most of the security policies inefficiently finance the defence programs of the minorities. In the united states, one requires a sounder system to make it through in the criminal justice system. Some or most of the minorities are not in a position to get the effective that will ensure they are well protected. This is one of the reasons that have been established to push most of the African Americans to incarceration. The majority of the cases are assigned slightly incompetent or inexperienced public defenders which make their cases to end up lost. One of the cases that seem to support this issue is about the public defenders in Louisiana filed a petition against the state on the crushing caseloads.
The other finding that seem to support this argument is that the most effective way to come up with a sound criminal justice system is through ensuring that race and ethnicity is given key consideration in the society. There is need to have equality and ensure there is reduction disparity in the society. Crime and justice are a wide area which requires the stakeholders to reason together and ensure they come up with sound system and policy that works for everyone. One of the issues that have been reported is that the bigger proportion of the people who are being prison face their sentences at the state level and not the federal level. A proper understanding of the ethical and racial dimension is critical in the field of criminal justice.
Incarceration produces several consequences that are at times are collateral in nature. This subject affects the general status of the community and the family as well as the general state of stability in the society. These collateral effects make it so challenging for the people to make it beck to the society. The people of colour are affected the most since they are adversely affected since the law enforcement authorities to have negative perspective on them. It has been reported that some of the people are incarcerated because of their race and ethnicity instead of the crime they have committed. The entire community of the minorities are affected by the collateral consequences of the incarceration and the criminal cases (Ashley, p.11)
Conclusion
This topic has substantial impact both at personal level and the society at large. The main question of this research has been based on the issues of the minority becoming victims of unfair treatment by the criminal justice system. The society seems to be so harsh on the minority and they are pushed significantly to the corner where every crime is connected to them. This research seems to give further explanation of the incarceration of the African Americans and the various causes related to it. The policies that have been put in place to curb crime and serve justice in the society seem to be so biased when the cases involve the minorities. There is no experience defence offered to them, they are discriminated by the society and the system that needs to serve them making them the key targets of the protocols put in place to curb crime. During this research, and the various aims to come up with sound answers to the study question, there are several issues that came out. There seems to be some trend in the criminal justice failures when it relates to the community of the black people. Based on the information available, there are so many factors that connect the people of colour to crime and make them become the majority of the people associated with incarceration. The criminal justice has some weaknesses that will take some substantial amount of time and strategy to solve.
Work Cited
Felson, Richard B., and Andrew T. Krajewski. “Did mass incarceration lead to the disproportionate admission of minorities and marginal offenders?.” Criminology & Public Policy (2020).
Nellis, Ashley. The color of justice: Racial and ethnic disparity in state prisons. Sentencing Project, 2016.
Sentencing Project. “Report of the Sentencing Project to the United Nations Human Rights Committee: Regarding racial disparities in the United States criminal justice system.” (2013).