The criminal justice system is a setting where wrongdoers are punished for their actions while the plaintiff receives justice. One of the methods used to punish the wrongdoers is by imprisoning them. This week’s discussion on racial effects in the criminal justice system shows that ‘people of colour’ especially those who come from poor background fall victims of harsh punishments in comparison to other races especially the White. This paper elucidates the impact of race in the criminal justice system as well as points out the influence of the impacts on law enforcement career.
Legal-oriented factors such as the type of attorney, pretrial detention, and criminal history have a great impact on incarceration of a Black and the Latino defendant in comparison to their White counterparts. Additionally, ethnicity is a major factor in determining the type and magnitude of the punishment the defendant receives. Specifically, if a ‘person of colour’ harms a White victim, the defendant may receive a harsher penalty than if the crime committed is intra-racial, that is, Black to Black or White to White. Moreover, the ‘people of colour’ receive severe punishment for petty crimes such as drug possession and property crime in comparison with White defendants.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Such racial-oriented bias in the criminal justice system comes as a surprise given the efforts that the federal government has put in place to ensure racial discrimination does not occur. These impacts form the basis of a great revelation of the extent to which our country is affected by racial prejudice.
Therefore, as a prospective law enforcer, reducing racial prejudice in the criminal justice system is a priority. Such action will ensure fairness and proper ideals upon which the system is premised adhere. Moreover, if the criminal justice system is not viewed as fair and just, erosion of the most sought confidence and trust is going to occur as well as diminishing of public cooperation.
Overall racial discrimination continues to reign in the criminal justice system. It is wise to note that sentencing is a step in the criminal justice process. It builds up from decisions that precede the case. This means that when making such crucial decisions, reference to previous contributors such as law enforcement arrests decisions, prosecutorial charging, indigent defence representation, presentence investigation procedures, and provision of sentencing alternatives options
