Is The Criminal Justice System Racially Biased?

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Is the Criminal Justice System Racially Biased?

Is the Criminal Justice System Racially Biased?

Most criminologist use two sources of criminal justice data in the
United States: the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and the National Crime
Victimization Surveys (NCVS). The URC data is made from law enforcement
agencies and include crime incidents reported to or obtained by the police.
NCVS data is obtained from a very complex national survey of a sample of homes
and provide information about crime incidents and victims for both reported and
unreported crimes, excluding homicide. For my report I obtained research
information from questionnaires and from several text books. I gave the
questionnaire concerning bias in the criminal justice system to four whites,
four blacks, one Asia, and one Mexican. Although this sample is not
representative of racial attitudes in general, it can used to develop a better
sense of differences among students.
    To discuss my findings fully I must define a few terms. The Criminal
Justice System is the network of agencies that respond to crime, including the
police, courts, jails, and prisons. Minority Group is a group of people who,
because of physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out for
differential and different and who regard them as objects of collective
discrimination. Discrimination is the act of singling out for unfair treatment.
Labeling is stereotyping, or putting a tag on someone, and treating them
accordingly. Self-fulling Prophecy is an expectation about how things will be
the situations that they predicted or expected. Finally, Differential
Association is the idea that interacting with others learns criminal behavior.
    It is no secret whites and blacks in America experience life differently
because of their race. Therefore, whites and blacks view the criminal justice
system differently. My research found 70% of those studied agree the courts do
not offer equal treatment. Although both agree that the system is biased,
whites seem to have a more positive view about the whole system, while Blacks
feel the system is corrupt and works' against them. 50% of my non-white sample
and 20% of my white sample felt the courts discriminate. James Henslin, author
of the text Social Problems, states "[Violent crime] recedes with income ...
people with higher incomes live in better, more affluent and less violent
neighborhoods"(Henslin 141). The criminal justice system is made up of these
type people,

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