RACE, ETHNICITY, AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE Research Paper

RACE, ETHNICITY, AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE - Research Paper Example As a result of these types of labels, these people were instantly placed on a significantly lower social level than the Europeans within the minds of the Europeans who eventually gained dominance. This mindset lives on today in the European-styled society we perpetuated. Overt discriminatory practices during all phases of the criminal justice system concerning ethnic minorities, especially those of African-American or Hispanic descent, have been well-documented. The recently increased implementation of law enforcement measures which are exclusively aimed at minorities and immigrants through tactics such as racial profiling have exacerbated long standing tensions with police agencies. These interactions are becoming increasingly tense as evidenced by a proliferation of physical and verbal abuse towards minorities and immigrants, a growing mutual distrust and an escalating threat of violence. Of course, crime can occur in fully homogenized societies and a tendency to commit crimes in i mpoverished areas is understood to be the result of economic rather than racial issues. However, racist perceptions are reflected in laws, traditions, and hiring practices causing minorities to be disproportionately represented in depressed neighborhoods. This is a rather obvious explanation for social injustice creating crime. An additional reason could be that because minorities are targeted as potential criminals, it is generally perceived by the majority that simply being a minority places the individual under suspicion. The U.S. incarcerates more of its population per capita than any other industrialized country. Currently, more than two million prisoners are jailed in local, state or federal facilities. It is not just the number of prisoners that is increasing, but the ratio of prisoner to free population is widening as well. Approximately 10 years ago, there were about 703 prisoners in every