Racial Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System Essay

Racial Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System - Essay Example This essay discusses that the legal system of the United States favored the white part of the population from the very beginning. Indeed, originally all African slaves were not considered to be people in the full meaning of this word, but rather animate property that belonged to their masters. After they have been granted freedom, the governments of the states approved various laws that came to be known as Jim Crow laws which reinforced the segregation of races. Only the second half of the twentieth century witnessed the end of segregation. Prior to that time it often happened that Black citizens would be lynched and the police would not press any charges. As the study highlights the history of crimes committed and the sentencing handed down by judges has often been deemed racist. There is a question of the influx of police in poorer neighborhoods flooding the areas and arresting people for minor crimes. On a personal level, there is a staunch support for treatment for the mentally ill as opposed to incarceration. It was found that there is a number of â€Å"socioeconomic status variables (education, employment, public assistance, residential stability, and household composition)† that should be taken into account while considering the disparities in the legal system of the United States. As for the judicial system in general, it is rather obvious that there is a clear disproportion of judges that belong to different races.