Racial Inequality And The Law Enforcement System - 1577 Words

On an ordinary day, March 3rd 1991, Rodney Glen King became an icon of racial tension in the United States. Following a high-speed chase, King was severely beaten by the LA Police. These four policemen were accused of â€Å"charges of assault with a deadly weapon and excessive use of force by a police officer.† This resulted in a 3-month trial, after which the police officers were released. The jury was predominately white, suggesting the conception of racial inequality, which triggered riots all over LA. (1) This paper argues that racial discrimination in policing results in unwarranted treatment, incarceration, and death. Racial inequality, specifically within policing, has gained a significant amount of attention and has struck up much controversy in the past few years. The discretionary power to decide who should be searched, arrested, prosecuted, and punished depends on the law enforcement system. Therefore, â€Å"skewed statistics, along with some dramatic instances of excess in the exercise of police authority,† suggest that the evident nature of racial disparity is the cause for the maltreatment of minorities by the policing system. Data shows that minorities such as Latinos, and Blacks specifically form a disproportionately large percentage of the people who receive punishment, and land up in jail. These consequences affect them for the rest of their lives and even impact the future status of their communities. (2) â€Å"It has long been recognized that racial disparitiesShow MoreRelatedThe Relationship Between Police Brutality And African Americans1350 Words   |  6 Pagesthrough cultural institutions, individual racism, as well as racial ideology. These forms of discrimination cause racial inequalities which bring about a lack of opportunity and mistreatment. This paper will focus on the relationship between police brutality and African Americans. Let me be clear though police brutality affects the lives of minorities in general, but mostly this epidemic causes repercussions for African Americans due to racial ideologies by individuals as well as institutions. The systemicRead MoreRacism And Discrimination : America s Justice System1301 Words   |  6 Pagesand abilities can be attributed to people simply on the basis of their race and that some racial groups are greater than others. When we are children, we are taught not to try a book by its cover, but for most of us this is easier said than done. Although, racism and discrimination is essential for any, but many of the United States downfalls, racial profiling is the correct term that occurs just as often. Racial profiling is a practice that targets people for suspicion based on their race, ethnicityRead MoreRacial Discrimination And The Criminal Justice System1512 Words   |  7 Pagessaying the criminal justice system is racist is a controversial statement, there is evidence and statistics that prove it to be true. Research and evidence validate the issue of racism to be undeniable. Equality and justice are out of reach with the racism that takes place in our criminal justice system and our country. Racial discrimination is prevalent amongst the African American culture in issues regarding drug use, and incarceration which creates unfair inequality for this race. I will use peerRead MoreAfrican American And Other Ethnic Groups Incarcerated Versus Whites1553 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction When we hear the words â€Å"justice system† we should be thinking about fairness, justice, honesty, righteousness. However, contrary to what comes to mind in reality the justice system is rife with inequality, injustice, corruption and dishonestly. The definition for institutional inequality is the existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions or statuses within a group of society (about.com) and this is what people of color are facing on a daily basis. OnRead MoreThe Ratio Of African American And Other Ethnic Groups1531 Words   |  7 PagesWhen we hear the words â€Å"justice system† we should be thinking about fairness, justness, honesty, righteousness, but in contrary what comes to mind is inequality, injustice, corruption, dishonestly. The definition for institutional inequality is the existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions or statuses within a group of society (about.com) and this is what p eople of color are facing in a daily basis. On this project I intend to research about the ratio of AfricanRead MoreInfluential Factors on a Juveniles Life1510 Words   |  6 Pagesand the Law Maker Law Enforcement The incongruent treatment of minorities in the American criminal justice system begins at the very first stage of the procedure, the investigation by the law enforcement officer. Law enforcement disproportionately target minorities over whites, as criminal suspects. With this direct focus, the racial makeup of the population that is ultimately charged, convicted and incarcerated becomes contorted (Leadership Conference Education Fund, 2013). These racial generalizationsRead MoreThe Criminal Justice System Has Served As A Focal Point Of Much Of Societal Racism993 Words   |  4 Pageseffective balance of responses by law enforcement, social services, and community intervention are critical in determining many of these outcomes. Bias within the criminal justice Historically, the criminal justice system has served as a focal point of much of societal racism. There is a long legacy of practices such as the criminal leasing system, extra-judicial lynchings, and police brutality have shaped the history of African Americans and the criminal justice system. Over the last thirty years, thereRead MorePolice Brutality Based On Racial Profiling1682 Words   |  7 PagesA great deal of society views law enforcement officers as heroic and honorable individuals, whose main purpose is to protect and serve the community. For many officers, this description is accurate, however for others; violence and brutality against innocent citizens is the key to getting the job done. For years, minorities have fallen victim to police brutality based on racial profiling, stereotypes and other unjustifiable reasons that has cost several innocent lives. The involvement of officersRead MoreRacial Inequality919 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is racial inequality? Racial ineq uality is discrepancies in the opportunities and treatment of people based solely on their race. Racial inequality is a serious issue that is often discussed in the American criminal justice system. Although racial discrimination is present in the criminal justice system, some people use the words inequality, discrimination, racism, and profiling loosely and do not understand how truly complex it is to prove that there actually is racial inequality present inRead MoreEssay: Alleviating Racism in Law Enforcement641 Words   |  3 PagesAlleviating Racism in Law Enforcement Despite the assertion that the problem of race is essentially over in the United States, the truth remains that while laws and public standards have moved past the issue of race and into the field of equality, many individual citizens have not. This racism within the minds of citizens is existent in some level or another within scores of individuals residing in the United States, and does not discriminate between jobs or status. The nature of police work itself