POLICE BRUTALITY ON MINORITIES
ABSTRACT
The criminal justice system is marred with racism and discrimination. The interactions of race, ethnicity and the criminal justice system have been topics of interest among many authors, who continue to capture the intrigues of these complicated interactions. This essay gives an array of ways and reasons as to how and why the criminal justice system hurts the African American population and other minority groups in the United States. Discrimination within the criminal justice system and police brutality have been prominent struggle points for the country.
Disparities in the treatment of whites and other minority groups can be highlighted in selective enforcement, racial profiling, police violence and brutality, differences in sentencing, prosecutorial abuse, incarceration and subsequent police killings. Federal sentencing guidelines have contributed mainly to some of the injustices that minority groups face today. The apathetic adoption of policy changes has been a significant hurdle in the fight against racism, racial prejudice, racial discrimination and police violence and killings witnesses across the United States today. Injustices within the criminal justice system, and subsequently within the policing and law enforcement agencies, have been challenges that have ailed the system since the 17th century, in the era of English colonialism and African slavery. These facts give a better understanding of the deep roots of the challenges faced today, and perhaps an explanation for the difficulty in averting this situation. It is these factors have been topics of discussion all over the United States, invoking the interest of the government, media and civil societies. The debate on this disparity and discrimination has been captured at length in the annotated bibliographies below.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Corrigan, L. M. (2016). Competing Masculinities. Prison Power, 85-116. https://doi.org/10.14325/mississippi/9781496809070.003.0003
The article by Corrigan rhetorically examines three articles for which incarcerated black activists are famous for From Death Row, Death Blossoms and All things censored. Mass incarceration remains a dominant aspect of contemporary conversations revolving around racial inequality in the United States. Rather than focusing on the dehumanising spectrum of incarceration, Corrigan examines how the writings of black power activists have continued to make propelling changes to the freedom of blacks in America.
The article argues that writings behind prison walls became the new found critical space, where black power has been taken up as an extension of the civil rights movement. The black power vernacular, a term coined by Corrigan is an expression of the rhetoric used in the texts of incarcerated black power activists, as an invented form of the new interpretation of black identification and encouragement of the liberation of the black people. The article is relevant in highlighting the journey and efforts made by black activists in their quest to attain equality in the criminal justice system.
Michael Barbaro and Caitlin Dickerson. (2020, August 5). Stay Black And Die—the New York Times.
The United States has recently faced a wave of demonstrations against police brutality. These demonstrations were sparked by irked citizens following the recent killings of George Floyd, a black man. Protests against racism and police violence have been ongoing for about three months now, with no meaningful policy action insight. The New York Times hosted a frontline demonstrator in an interview to discuss the pace of change.
The title of the interview is in itself a description of the predicament faced by minority groups in the United States. Being black is equated to death in the hands of racist police officers. This point is well expressed in the interview as the interviewee details that half of the time, minority groups live in perpetual fear for their children and their generations. The critical point to note, however, is that change within the police agency is not happening as fast as necessary. Policies remain the same, despite active calls to have them revised. This is an indicator that the clash between police and minority groups is far from over.
Ested, J. J. (2018). Police brutality matters.
Police brutality is at the forefront of most American Citizens consciousness. Joseph Ested is an Africa American law enforcement agent, who grew up in the face of police brutality. He illustrates his first-hand experiences on police violence. In an uncensored move, the author details how the crime profits the criminal justice system. Police violence is a direct attribute of institutionalised racism that has corrupted the criminal justice system into targeting minority groups.
The text explicitly highlights the cracks in the police department on race, such as the use of excessive force, the intimidation tactics that are gang-style affiliated, and the general bigotry that has infested police departments all over the United States. The book is personalised in many of its concepts. Racist law enforcement is mainly a topic of interest not only for the author but also for the reader who wishes to learn the ground situation of criminal injustice faced by minority groups.
Police Brutality in the US is steeped in racism [Video]. (n.d.). YouTube. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ICG8z3CPIHs
Mapping police violence indicates that in 2019, police killed one thousand and ninety-five people in police-related violence. Statistical evidence shows that black people are three times more likely to be killed by police compared to white people. Evidence also shows that black people are 1.3 times less likely to be armed compared with their white counterparts. Harsh treatment on minorities in the United States can be traced as far back as to the 19th century. In modern-day, police brutality takes the shape of violence, profiling and surveillance.
Minority groups in the United States are associated with a particular stereotype of crime and are therefore prime police suspects in the event of a crime. African American citizens to this day remain primary targets of police violence and harassment, in overwhelming numbers. In 2019, the black population comprised of 24percent of the total police killings. The criminal justice system demonstrates significant discrimination in preserving the fundamental rights of minority groups. The experiences of minority groups differ sharply from that of other races, with the source of these disparities being deeper than explicit discrimination. The video is useful in giving statistical evidence coupled up with historical insights that trace the roots of injustice in the American criminal justice system.
The Sentencing Project (Washington DC 20036). (2018). US Bureau of Justice Statistics.
This is a United States government publication that is directed to the United Nations. It is a unique report that highlights the contemporary forms of racial discrimination, related intolerance and xenophobia within the criminal justice system. The report notes the high rise of incarceration begins with disproportionate rations of contact between African Americans and the police. The war against drugs is one significant war that has influenced the attitude of the police toward African Americans. Policymakers and criminal justice leaders fail to respond in time to address cases of discriminatory policies.
The publication is useful because it has highlighted the weaknesses present in the criminal justice system, an essential element of effecting change. The publication analyses several reports from bodies authorised to look into racism and discrimination within the system, from policing, sentencing, parole, and post-prison or what they call collateral consequences. The publications conclusion majors on useful recommendations that if implemented, are likely to be affirmative steps that lead the American criminal justice system into a path of liberation from racism and discrimination.
CONCLUSION
Extreme police brutality among minorities and any subsequent ill-treatment of minority groups by the criminal justice system is a significant concern. These circumstances are possibly some of the most complex problems faced in policing today. By extension, the attitude held by police towards minority group is a mirror of the beliefs of the broader community. Circumstantial resentment is a major contributing factor to discrimination against minority groups. Several factors have, and continue to be fostered to ensure that the integrity of the criminal justice system is preserved. Measures such as personal police accountability have been put in place. The racial and ethnic balance in the composition of the police force, though not easy to achieve, can be a long-lasting solution to this menace.
Collective violence is one major problem of policing in the United States today. The brutality increases tenfold, where African American citizens are involved. It is, however, incredible to note that a lot of sensitisation on this matter has been done in ways such as those involving black power activists, to media report attempts. Much success, though not optimal, has been reached. Today, though friction and troublesome relations remain between the minority groups and the police, police operate from the point of knowledge. Social movements such as Black lives matter, continue to make an immense contribution, through raising the voice against police brutality and criminal justice discrimination. Awareness of issues revolving around racism and police brutality has been the essential key for minority groups towards achieving equal justice. The criminal justice system still has a long way to go in achieving justice for all, regardless of race or colour.