Inequality In The Criminal Justice System

Superior Essays
Prompt #2 The American criminal justice system is meant to be impartial, fair, and universal regardless of the defendant’s race or socioeconomic standing. As Professor Roy stated in his lectures, the foundational principles that the legal system is built upon are to be consistent and logical (Roy). These ideals should be utilized when implementing a consistent sentencing and conviction process. In other words, the courts and law enforcement officials should only look at the crimes committed rather than the individual (Roy). Unfortunately, this protocol is not upheld due to racial and class boundaries which are continually perpetuated by the flaws in the justice system. By examining conviction rates and length of prison sentences, I strongly …show more content…
The wealthy can gain stable employment and avoid crime. Also, they are able to stay out of prison by hiring skillful and costly lawyers. Minorities still battle with racist stereotypes and unjust prison sentences.
Works Cited
Anon. n.d. “How Do Americans View One Another? The Persistence of Racial/Ethnic Stereotypes.” Diversity Digest. Retrieved July 15, 2016 (http://www.diversityweb.org/digest/w98/research2.html).
Anon. 2011. “20 Facts About U.S. Inequality That Everyone Should Know.” Stanford Center on Poverty & Inequality. Retrieved July 14, 2016 (http://inequality.stanford.edu/publications/20-facts-about-us-inequality-everyone-should-know).
Bergman, Paul and Sara J. Berman. n.d. “Paying a Private Criminal Defense Attorney - Cost of Defense | Nolo.com.” Nolo.com. Retrieved July 14, 2016 (http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/paying-private-criminal-defense-attorney.html).

Drake, Bruce. 2013. “Americans See Growing Gap between Rich and Poor.” Pew Research Center RSS. Retrieved July 14, 2016

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