Topic/Observation
Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System Racial differences in criminal involvement and racial patterns in the United States criminal justice system have been important topics since the beginning of American criminology (Crutchfield, Fernandes & Martinez, 2010). For hundreds of years, Black people, particularly black males, have been negatively stereotyped as being aggressive, violent, and being prone to participate in criminal activity more so than their white male counterparts. From the days of slavery to the present, Black people have been concerned that they will never be treated fairly by whites who are placed in a position of authority. This mindset is fueled by the disproportionate number of unarmed …show more content…
Normally a vehicle is stopped by the police because the person driving has made some type of traffic infraction. With racial profiling, you are stopped because of your skin color and your ethnicity. Racial profiling began with our stance on the war on drugs in the 1980s and 1990s. Because drug trafficking was believed to be disproportionately committed by racial/ethnic minorities, police departments around the country used this tactic as a premise to conduct a traffic stop. Although anti-profiling laws have been passed and several Presidents of The United States have spoken out against racial profiling, it is believed to still exist (Briggs, 2013). I have had the worst task in the world; teaching my children how to interact with police so they would not be killed. This was especially vital with my sons. They have seen how black men have been treated by the police and I wanted them to survive and learn from their experiences. One thing that has been hard to understand is that throughout history, African-Americans have long been targeted as the race that “needed to be put in their place.” When September11, 2001, happened the main law enforcement goal shifted from targeting African-Americans to targeting anyone of Middle Eastern descent. I also think of our armed forces and their make-up of all races and ethnic groups who fight for this country. As African-Americans who had been involved in all of the major wars, as I was told as a child by a relative “we fought for a country that wouldn’t fight for
Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System Racial differences in criminal involvement and racial patterns in the United States criminal justice system have been important topics since the beginning of American criminology (Crutchfield, Fernandes & Martinez, 2010). For hundreds of years, Black people, particularly black males, have been negatively stereotyped as being aggressive, violent, and being prone to participate in criminal activity more so than their white male counterparts. From the days of slavery to the present, Black people have been concerned that they will never be treated fairly by whites who are placed in a position of authority. This mindset is fueled by the disproportionate number of unarmed …show more content…
Normally a vehicle is stopped by the police because the person driving has made some type of traffic infraction. With racial profiling, you are stopped because of your skin color and your ethnicity. Racial profiling began with our stance on the war on drugs in the 1980s and 1990s. Because drug trafficking was believed to be disproportionately committed by racial/ethnic minorities, police departments around the country used this tactic as a premise to conduct a traffic stop. Although anti-profiling laws have been passed and several Presidents of The United States have spoken out against racial profiling, it is believed to still exist (Briggs, 2013). I have had the worst task in the world; teaching my children how to interact with police so they would not be killed. This was especially vital with my sons. They have seen how black men have been treated by the police and I wanted them to survive and learn from their experiences. One thing that has been hard to understand is that throughout history, African-Americans have long been targeted as the race that “needed to be put in their place.” When September11, 2001, happened the main law enforcement goal shifted from targeting African-Americans to targeting anyone of Middle Eastern descent. I also think of our armed forces and their make-up of all races and ethnic groups who fight for this country. As African-Americans who had been involved in all of the major wars, as I was told as a child by a relative “we fought for a country that wouldn’t fight for