Change Your World Week Winter 2022 (Archived)

Racial discrimination is any discrimination against any individual on the basis of their skin color or racial or ethnic origin. When it comes to racial discrimination in the criminal justice system, racial discrimination occurs from the first initial contact made with police and then it can continue through pleas, conviction, incarceration, and release.

Racial discrimination in the criminal justice system has been ongoing for a very long time and continues to do so. African Americans are three times more likely to get arrested during a regular police encounter than a white person.  African Americans are also five times more likely as whites to say they have been unfairly stopped by the police just based off of their ethnicity.  As you can see in the chart to the right, African Americans have the following issues because of their skin color in the criminal justice system. According to a study, as of 2001, 1 out of every 3 black boys that were born that year could expect to go to prison in his lifetime. 1 out of every 6 Latinos could expect going to prison in his life time. As for white boys, it would be 1 out of 17! Out of the 277,000 people who are in prison for a drug related offense, 56% percent of those people are either African American or Latino. From the population that is stopped by the police, 1 in every 8 people are white compared to 1 in every 2 that are black.

In 2012, a 17 year old boy named Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by a man named George Zimmerman. Trayvon Martin was walking on his way home carrying a bag that contained a drink and some skittles when Zimmerman approached him. Zimmerman initially called the police and told them he thought that Trayvon was being "suspicious" seeing how there where previous break-ins in the neighborhood. While talking to the police, Zimmerman told the dispatcher that he is following Trayvon and the dispatcher even instructed him that, that is not necessary. Zimmerman ignored what the dispatcher had said and decided to approach Trayvon after he was "preying" on him. Zimmerman ended up shooting and killing Trayvon. Zimmerman was not arrested after killing Trayvon. The police assumed that he was using self-defense even though Trayon had no weapons on him what so ever. Even after the dispatcher told Zimmerman he does not need to be following the young man, the police "assumed" that he was using self-defense. Even when court was held, there was not one single black juror on the stand. Zimmerman was acquitted on all charges. Trayvon was an innocent child who was racially profiled and shot and killed because of the way he looked. Trayvon was only 17 years old and the man who killed him had zero consequences. Over the past few years racial discrimination in the criminal justice system has gained alot of attention. Especially from this case alone. Alot of you might be remember the George Flyod case that happened not too long ago. Both of these cases are prime examples of what people of color go through on a daily basis.

The biggest thing we can do to help end racial discrimination in the criminal justice system is to make people aware. Advocate and speak up about the issue we have here in America that affects so many people. Even if this topic does not concern you as of right now, it could effect your children or grandchildren later in life, or any relative in that matter. It is important to educate people on this topic. Many people are not aware of just how much racial discrimination exists today. You can also help this cause by signing our petition at the end of our webpage. The more signatures the better chance this topic has of reaching attention on social media and influence decision makers. Thanks for reading!

A&E Television Networks. (2013, November 12). Florida teen Trayvon Martin shot and killed. History.com. Retrieved March 31, 2022, from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/florida-teen-trayvon-martin-is-shot-and-killed

Desmond, M., & Emirbayer, M. (2020). Race in America. W. W. Norton & Company

Hinton, E. K. (n.d.). An unjust burden. Vera Institute of Justice. Retrieved March 31, 2022, from https://www.vera.org/publications/for-the-record-unjust-burden

Inman, S. N. (n.d.). Racial disparities in Criminal Justice. Americanbar.org. Retrieved March 31, 2022, from https://www.americanbar.org/groups/young_lawyers/publications/after-the-bar/public-service/racial-disparities-criminal-justice-how-lawyers-can-help/