Findlay

Jessica Findlay

Professor Julia Ellis

Criminal Justice 1010

05 April 2017

Every Life Matters

Racism is the idea that one race or culture is primarily superior to another, regardless of

evidence to the contrary. Since the 19th century, racism has been a big issue in the United States,

especially with the African-Americans. It first started with the African-American culture and

slavery. Then it continued with the Civil Rights movement and the fight for equal rights. Lately,

it has been a popular subject associated with the police. Many say that the US criminal justice

system is targeting African-Americans and treating them unfairly when compared to white

people. This topic is extremely controversial, partly because it is difficult to understand the

situation when only half the story is shared . Therefore, are cops actually biased against other

races, especially African-Americans? In the book, Criminal Justice in Action by Roger Miller

and Larry Gaines, there are multiple sections and information on racism and how it plays a part

in the criminal justice system. Many of these include: racial profiling, stereotyping, and

discrimination with the death penalty.

In the book, racial profiling is defined as, The practice of targeting people for police

action based solely on their race, ethnicity, or national origin (Gaines, 220) . Racial profiling is

something that happens daily, and targeting people of color for unnecessary searches and

interrogations without having proof of anything illegal taking place or criminal activity is

blatantly illegal. The U.S. Constitution states equal protection and autonomy from unreasonable
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searches and seizures. An example of this would be Trayvon Martins case . In this case, Trayvon

Martin was the victim who was assumed guilty based simply on his identity rather than evidence .

The fact that many said he was murdered solely on his appearance, is the perfect example of

racial profiling. However, Zimmermans point of view states that Trayvon was acting suspicious

and he shot him in self-defense. This case is hard to judge on which side is right. Was

Zimmerman actually being biased towards Trayvon? It is important for law enforcement or

community action groups to stop anyone they believe is acting suspicious, but there is a

difference from making sure everything seems normal, and pulling out a gun and killing

someone. It is important for officers to do their job and stop people who they think look

suspicious. However, no one should exclusively seek out certain races, because they think they

are up to no good because of the color of their skin . This does not mean that every officer does

this, or should be blamed for racial profiling. Those who act disrespectful and senseless should

be accountable for their actions, rather than bringing down the entire police department and

setting a bad example. Furthermore, there should be a better solution to stopping those who are

acting suspicious. Most officers are not trying to be racist, but rather trying to protect everyone .

Instead of using racial profiling, it should just be profiling. Profiling is when an officer watches,

investigates, and makes a decision about an individual based upon their conducts and actions .

The officers should focus on the intentions of the individual, instead of focusing on the color of

their skin and stereotyping the individual. The solution is to assure a better approach for officers

stopping and frisking individuals, and to, if possible, have a valid reason for doing so.

Along with racial profiling, stereotyping certain races for crimes is an extremely

controversial subject. In the book, it states, that a black man is almost twelve times more
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likely than a white man to be sent to prison for a drug-related conviction, while black women are

about five times more likely than white women to be incarcerated for a drug offense (Gaines,

86). Many seem to think that certain races have more of a criminal behavior than others, but it

truly depends on the area they live in and the lifestyle they live. Someone who is living in a poor

neighborhood, with a rough family life would be more likely to commit a crime compared to

someone who is well off. It is not about the race and who commits more crimes, but rather the

individual and the circumstances they come from . Racial profiling and stereotyping are

extremely similar. When the criminal justice system targets people based upon their race, sex, or

faith, this is considered racial profiling. When a colored man walks into a store and the owner

pays close attention to him, not because he is acting suspicious, but because of the color of his

skin, this is called stereotyping. Prejudice under these circumstances happen way too often.

Discriminatory actions toward certain races happen all the time, especially in alliance to

the death penalty. Racial prejudice plays a major part in capital punishment . Over one-third of

those on the death row are African American or Hispanic. In Barbara Mackinnon and Andrew

Fialas book Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues, it talks about how blacks are more likely

to receive a death sentence than whites, especially when the victim is white . The victims

ethnicity does influence the likelihood of the suspect being charged with the crime or being put

on the death row. Unfortunately, instead of focusing on the severity of the crime, the color of

skin of both the victim and the offender are shown to have a bigger impact . The crime itself

should be the deciding factor of what the punishment should be for the defendant . A good

example of racial prejudice would be Gary Sterlings case . In the book, Texas Death Row by Bill

Crawford, he explains how bias in the courtroom has a huge impact on the result of the case . In
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1989, Gary Sterling was sentenced to death for robbery and the murder of a white man . Among

the 12 white jurors was Victor Walther . Victor Walther was known as a racist to many, including

Sterlings lawyer. Due to the fact that all the men on the jury were white, and probably biased

toward colored people, Sterling was sentenced to death and executed . Even though his crime was

major, the fact that all the jurors were white, and one was certainly prejudice, was unfair to Gary

Sterling and his case.

Certain people in the U.S. Judicial system unethically rely on color as a major factor in

determining the punishment in a lot of cases. There needs to be a fundamental change in the way

people act towards others of different race . Even though this change needs to happen in all

situations involving the law and racial bias, it is nearly impossible to stop acts of bigotry . The

most important factor on how to improve upon this is how each officer and individual can act

towards these situations.

One way to reduce the intensity of encounters between an officer and an individual is

through De-escalation. This will not stop the bigotry actions made by some, but will lessen the

severity and duration of encounters. De-escalation refers to approaches in conflict resolution .

Through this method, simple encounters will not spiral out of proportions and there will be no

need to take specific measures. It makes more sense to simply talk to the person without making

it dramatic straight away. Most of the time the subject does not have a weapon . Just by

distancing themselves from the person and keeping things composed can make a huge difference,

and save lives. There is no need to rush into anything, and pull out a gun straight away unless

needed. The most important thing to do is to find out what is going on, and how to best handle

that situation. There are times where there will be discrimination towards another individual,
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however most of the time officers should not jump to conclusions before they have all the

information on the case or situation. This does not mean every officer does this, but in some

cases this does happen, like with Trayvon Martins case. De-escalation is how officers can

improve encounters and decrease unnecessary conflicts between them and the subject.

There are many ways to look at race in alliance with police officers and the criminal

justice system as a whole. Some view the officers as being racist, while others say that the

community is getting on the police for doing their job. Neither side is necessarily wrong . There

are officers who are racist, and may not make the best calls on certain situations . Unfortunately,

all cops get in trouble for anothers mistake. On the other hand, the public likes to make things a

bigger deal then it actually is and create problems. The media instantly views the cops as the bad

guys without having the full story. Not all officers are prejudice towards other races. It honestly

depends on the individual and how they were raised, where they live, and the circumstance of

every encounter. It is vital for cops to do their job correctly, and with racial profiling, it is

important to not be judgmental towards another race and to handle the situation responsibly and

carefully. With stereotyping, it is extremely important that officers and citizens do not assume

someone is up to something simply because the color of their skin. If they are acting suspicious

or have a reason to be approached, then that is a different story. Racial prejudice in capital

punishment is something that would be hard to stop, but should be stopped. It is critical that

every citizen gets an equal and fair trial, no matter who they are and what they did. State and

local law enforcements need to implement training on De-escalation to stop unnecessary

shootings and deaths. De-escalation slows the situation down so that both parties can seek to

understand what is going on, and creates mutual respect. Mutual respect can and will help reduce

racism.
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Works Cited

Gaines, Larry K., and Roger LeRoy Miller. Criminal justice in action. Seventh ed. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth Pub., 2013. Print.

MacKinnon, Barbara. Ethics: theory and contemporary issues. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
CENGAGE Learning, 2009. Print.

Crawford, Bill. Texas death row. London: Michael Joseph, 2008. Print.

Hill, John. Exploring the police: a book of readings. Boston: Pearson Custom Pub., 2004. Print.

Bhui, Hindpal Singh. Race and criminal justice. Los Angeles: Sage, 2009. Print.

Egharevba, Stephen. Police brutality, racial profiling, and discrimination in the criminal justice
system. Hershey, Pennsylvania (701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, PA 17033, USA): IGI
Global, 2017. Print.

"Racial Bias." Racial Bias | National Coalition to. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.