Prejudice in the American
Judicial System
What is the Justice System?
(according to Wikipedia)
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Uphold social control
Deter crime
Mitigate crime
Sanction/Punish those who violate
the law
• Rehabilitate those who break the
law.
What is Racial Prejudice in the Justice
System?
• Minorities stopped or detained more often
• Minorities arrested more often for similar
offences
• Minorities given harsher sentences for similar
offences
• Minorities treated unfairly or in a cruel and
unusual manner.
Why it is a problem?
Lately, it seems, the media has been awash with
stories of Police officers brutally handling
routine procedures. Minority groups fear they
are being targeted, and trust in the Judicial
System is on the decline. This is a problem
because this country was based on the principle
of “Justice for All”. If minorities are being
unfairly judged, then we rob them of their
Natural Rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of
Happiness.
History of Prejudice
It’s unfortunate, but our Country has a long
history of racial prejudice. It was only late in the
1900’s that Blacks and other minorities were
allowed the same rights and liberties as their
white counterparts. That old way of thinking
seems to continue to exist in our society even
today.
Does Racial Prejudice Truly Exist in
our Justice System?
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Blacks are incarcerated six times as often as whites who commit
similar crimes
1 in 3 black males in their 20’s is currently in prison or currently
under court supervision.
Blacks are generally searched 10 times more often than whites.
Black juveniles are twice as likely to be sent to juvenile centers than
their white counterparts.
Numbers:
Who is to blame?
A recent survey of random District and
Federal judges ask whether or not each judge
felt they judge impartially and fairly. Of
course, each one said they did. Where they
lying or where they simply wrong? Or is
there more to the picture than seems to meet
the eye?
Recent Example
Most prominent of the recent examples is the case
of Michael Brown. He was an unarmed, young
black man who was shot and killed by a white
police officer.
Results of the case?
Officer Darren Wilson was
found to be justified in his
actions, and the grand jury
chose not to indict him.
In a article written by Edward Conlon
published in the Wall Street Journal
In 2001, the centers for disease control and prevention
counted 129 instances of black men killed by “legal
intervention” of police officers.
Attempts were made take the heat off of police
departments by saying 6739 black men were murdered
overwhelmingly by young black men like themselves. This
is a fallacy because it twists the point of view from police
brutality to murder in general, and Conlon never states
why the black men were “murdered” by the police nor
did he give the circumstances in which they were killed.
Ultimately, the media altered the way we think and felt
about the reasoning behind police brutality.
Results of Prejudice
Due to limited media coverage, twisted stories, and limited evidence, what choice do
we have but to believe that we are controlled by an unjust system?
The result of this perceived injustice is that minority confidence in the Justice System
is dwindling, and with seemingly good cause.
According to research done by the National Institute of Justice, minority groups are
more likely than Caucasians to view law enforcement with suspicion and distrust.
A system where public officials are not trusted by the public, is a broken system.
What is the real problem?
Is this apparent racial bias the actual issue, or is
there an underlying cause? And what is the
resolution?
Conclusion
Ultimately, we’ve all concluded that there is an issue, but the issue is less of a
racial one. We found that local income and poverty levels have more to do with
how people are identified and treated by the judicial system. In fact, the number
of arrests of black men and women is actually on the decline. That doesn’t mean
it’s not an issue that needs to be resolved, it simply means that maybe our
perspective has been tainted by society and the media we’re fed.
What we need to do to change this
problem?
Education is the only means by which we can resolve
the issue of unfair treatment. We must further
educated our public officials, in addition to educating
ourselves. With proper education, racial and monetary
bias can be overcome, and Justice for All can, in reality,
be obtained.