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Race in the United States criminal justice system

In the United States, race plays a role in how people are treated by the criminal justice system, especially when it comes to being stopped by police, charged with crimes, and sentenced. People from different racial backgrounds often have different experiences and outcomes, even when facing similar charges. A person’s past arrests and criminal history also affect these outcomes.[1][2][3][4]

Experts continue to discuss the reasons behind these differences. Research shows that racial minorities are more likely to be involved in the criminal justice system, partly because of social and economic challenges. These include living in poverty, growing up in unsafe neighborhoods, having limited access to good schools or early education, and being exposed to harmful things in the environment like lead and pollution.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]

Searches and arrests

A 2003 study found that White people are more likely than Black people to be arrested for crimes like robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault. For rape, the arrest rates are about the same for both groups. Research shows that African Americans and other minorities are often overrepresented in crime statistics, both as suspects and as victims. In 2008, Black Americans were arrested more often than others for nearly all types of crime—except for DUI, liquor law violations, and hate crimes. Overall, they were arrested at 2.6 times the rate of other Americans. This number was even higher for serious crimes like murder (6.3 times) and robbery (8.1 times). Studies suggest that police actions like racial profiling, heavier policing in minority neighborhoods, and bias may contribute to these higher arrest rates.

References

  1. ↑ United States. Dept. of Justice. 2008. Bureau of Justice Statistics: Prison Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Justice.[page needed]
  2. ↑ Bonczarfalse, Thomas P.; Beck, Allen J. (March 1997). "Lifetime Likelihood of Going to State or Federal Prison" (PDF). National Institute of Justice Office of Justice Programs.
  3. ↑ Stephan Thernstrom; Abigail Thernstrom (1999). America in black and white: one nation indivisible. Simon and Schuster. p. 273. ISBN 9780684844978. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  4. ↑ Bobo, Lawrence D.; Thompson, Victor (2006). "Unfair by Design: The War on Drugs, Race, and the Legitimacy of the Criminal Justice System". Social Research. 73 (2): 445–472. doi:10.1353/sor.2006.0010. JSTOR 40971832. S2CID 143149001. ProQuest 209669497 Template:Gale Template:Project MUSE.
  5. ↑ Sampson, Robert J. (September 1987). "Urban Black Violence: The Effect of Male Joblessness and Family Disruption". American Journal of Sociology. 93 (2): 348–382. doi:10.1086/228748. JSTOR 2779588. S2CID 144729803.
  6. ↑ Sampson, Robert J.; Morenoff, Jeffrey D.; Raudenbush, Stephen (February 2005). "Social Anatomy of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Violence". American Journal of Public Health. 95 (2): 224–232. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2004.037705. PMC 1449156. PMID 15671454.
  7. ↑ Drum, Kevin. "An updated lead-crime roundup for 2018". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  8. ↑ Shihadeh, Edward S.; Shrum, Wesley (2004-07-01). "Serious Crime in Urban Neighborhoods: Is There a Race Effect?". Sociological Spectrum. 24 (4): 507–533. doi:10.1080/02732170490459502. ISSN 0273-2173. S2CID 145654909.
  9. ↑ Brown, Elizabeth; Males, Mike A. (Spring 2011). "Does Age or Poverty Level Best Predict Criminal Arrest and Homicide Rates? A Preliminary Investigation". Justice Policy Journal. 8 (1). S2CID 14751824.
  10. ↑ Light, Michael T.; Ulmer, Jeffery T. (2016-04-01). "Explaining the Gaps in White, Black, and Hispanic Violence since 1990: Accounting for Immigration, Incarceration, and Inequality". American Sociological Review. 81 (2): 290–315. doi:10.1177/0003122416635667. ISSN 0003-1224. S2CID 53346960.
  11. ↑ Ulmer, Jeffery T.; Harris, Casey T.; Steffensmeier, Darrell (2012). "Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Structural Disadvantage and Crime: White, Black, and Hispanic Comparisons*". Social Science Quarterly. 93 (3): 799–819. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6237.2012.00868.x. ISSN 1540-6237. PMC 4097310. PMID 25035523.
  12. ↑ Krivo, Lauren J.; Peterson, Ruth D. (2000). "The Structural Context of Homicide: Accounting for Racial Differences in Process". American Sociological Review. 65 (4): 547–559. doi:10.2307/2657382. ISSN 0003-1224. JSTOR 2657382.
  13. ↑ Nevin, Rick (2007-07-01). "Understanding international crime trends: The legacy of preschool lead exposure". Environmental Research. 104 (3): 315–336. Bibcode:2007ER....104..315N. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2007.02.008. ISSN 0013-9351. PMID 17451672.
  14. ↑

    Race In The United States Criminal Justice System Media

    • Racial disparities in the share of prisoners, police officers, people shot by police, and judges in the United States in the late 2010s

    • US homicide victims by race, 1980–2008

    • US homicide convictions by race, 1980–2008

    • Line graph comparing the United States incarceration rate, per 100,000 adults, among Black, Hispanic, and White adults, 2008–2018

    • Violent crime rates by gender in the U.S. from 1973 to 2003

    Boutwell, Brian B.; Nelson, Erik J.; Emo, Brett; Vaughn, Michael G.; Schootman, Mario; Rosenfeld, Richard; Lewis, Roger (2016-07-01). "The intersection of aggregate-level lead exposure and crime". Environmental Research. 148: 79–85. Bibcode:2016ER....148...79B. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2016.03.023. ISSN 0013-9351. PMID 27035924.

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