The disproportion of black men serving time in the criminal justice system is evident. A recent study stated 1 in every 15 African Americans are incarcerated, which is substantially greater than White men: 1 in every 106 (The Top 10 Most Startling Facts About People of Color and Criminal Justice in the United States). There are three main reasons for this uneven distribution of the criminal justice system: environment, legislative policies, and underlying racism. The environmental factor that makes the disproportion valid, stems from the neighborhoods in which almost thirty percent of the black community grows up. Black children are almost four times as likely to live in poverty as white or Asian children (Census Bureau data). This community
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Having a criminal record is hard, but trying to find a job with a bad criminal record, is even harder since “studies have shown that people of color face disparities in wage trajectory following release from prison (The Top 10 Most Startling Facts About People of Color and Criminal Justice in the United States).” Once out, the legislative policies set up for the criminal justice systems do not help inmates, especially if they’re on parole. “Parole guidelines can reduce unwarranted sentence-length disparities among prisoners, but not between them and others sentenced to local jails or community punishments,” which is where most black males are punished (Policies and Practices Contributing to High Rates of Incarceration). It is also true, that black males frequently get longer sentences. This means that although parole guidelines can be beneficial in reducing length of sentences, they contribute to the widening gap of black men serving time in the criminal justice system. It is very hard for an individual to see parole as a positive and decide they do not want to deal with incarceration …show more content…
There have been several cases that an officer walks up to a car, asks for license and registration, and when not given (or presented with questions as to why this is happening), pulls out his gun and pulls the trigger. Stories like this (Ferguson) horrify the public and create a magnifying glass of the imbalance the criminal justice system supports. Many officers, like you stated in your discussion piece, pull over and arrest people of color simply because it is easy. According to the Department of Justice, African Americans are twice as likely to be arrested. Many officers don’t have a charge against the black man they are pulling over to begin with, however, not complying gives them motive and opportunity. The Department of Justice also states, police are four times as likely to use force when hand-cuffing African Americans. The court then sees this violence as “needed” and as disobedience. Since a majority of the male African American population cannot lawyer up, they serve time. Also, oftentimes, the majority of judges and the jury pool are white, and do not see the racial inequality of the
Having a criminal record is hard, but trying to find a job with a bad criminal record, is even harder since “studies have shown that people of color face disparities in wage trajectory following release from prison (The Top 10 Most Startling Facts About People of Color and Criminal Justice in the United States).” Once out, the legislative policies set up for the criminal justice systems do not help inmates, especially if they’re on parole. “Parole guidelines can reduce unwarranted sentence-length disparities among prisoners, but not between them and others sentenced to local jails or community punishments,” which is where most black males are punished (Policies and Practices Contributing to High Rates of Incarceration). It is also true, that black males frequently get longer sentences. This means that although parole guidelines can be beneficial in reducing length of sentences, they contribute to the widening gap of black men serving time in the criminal justice system. It is very hard for an individual to see parole as a positive and decide they do not want to deal with incarceration …show more content…
There have been several cases that an officer walks up to a car, asks for license and registration, and when not given (or presented with questions as to why this is happening), pulls out his gun and pulls the trigger. Stories like this (Ferguson) horrify the public and create a magnifying glass of the imbalance the criminal justice system supports. Many officers, like you stated in your discussion piece, pull over and arrest people of color simply because it is easy. According to the Department of Justice, African Americans are twice as likely to be arrested. Many officers don’t have a charge against the black man they are pulling over to begin with, however, not complying gives them motive and opportunity. The Department of Justice also states, police are four times as likely to use force when hand-cuffing African Americans. The court then sees this violence as “needed” and as disobedience. Since a majority of the male African American population cannot lawyer up, they serve time. Also, oftentimes, the majority of judges and the jury pool are white, and do not see the racial inequality of the