Race has always been a contentious issue in American society. The prison system, in particular, has been a topic of great debate in terms of the fairness of the sentencing process. The question that has been asked repeatedly is whether race plays a significant role in determining the length of prison sentences in America. This paper will examine the existing research on the topic and evaluate the evidence to determine whether race does indeed affect prison sentences in America.
The United States has one of the largest prison systems in the world. According to the World Prison Brief, the United States has an incarceration rate of 639 per 100,000 people, which is the highest in the world. The prison system in America is made up of federal and
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According to a report by The Sentencing Project, black Americans are incarcerated at a rate that is five times higher than white Americans. Furthermore, Hispanic Americans are incarcerated at a rate that is 1.4 times higher than white Americans. The report also found that black Americans make up 40% of the prison population despite only representing 13% of the overall population.
One of the primary factors that determine a prison sentence is the severity of the crime committed. However, there is evidence to suggest that race can also play a role in the sentencing process. A study conducted by the United States Sentencing Commission found that black male offenders receive sentences that are 19.1% longer than white male offenders for similar crimes. The study also found that Hispanic male offenders receive sentences that are 8.6% longer than white male offenders.
Another factor that can influence sentencing is the criminal history of the offender. However, there is evidence to suggest that race can also play a role in this process. A study conducted by researchers from Stanford University found that black offenders are more likely to receive longer sentences than white offenders for the same criminal history. The study found that black offenders with no prior convictions received sentences that were as long as white offenders with prior
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As of 2021, the United States has an incarceration rate of 639 per 100,000 people, which is the highest in the world. The majority of the prison population in the United States is made up of people who have been convicted of non-violent crimes such as drug offenses and property crimes.
Racial Disparities in the Prison System
There is a significant racial disparity in the American prison system. According to a report by The Sentencing Project, black Americans are incarcerated at a rate that is five times higher than white Americans. Furthermore, Hispanic Americans are incarcerated at a rate that is 1.4 times higher than white Americans. The report also found that black Americans make up 40% of the prison population despite only representing 13% of the overall population.
One of the primary factors that determine a prison sentence is the severity of the crime committed. However, there is evidence to suggest that race can also play a role in the sentencing process. A study conducted by the United States Sentencing Commission found that black male offenders receive sentences that are 19.1% longer than white male offenders for similar crimes. The study also found that Hispanic male offenders receive sentences that are 8.6% longer than white male
Women convicted of “other property offenses” – a category of crimes that includes arson, receiving stolen property and breaking and entering — received shorter prison sentences. • Black female defendants were, in some ways, treated differently than white female defendants. Black women were assigned higher bond amounts and were more likely to be sent to prison than white women. Women of both races were equally likely to be released prior to
This article critically examines the racial disparities in sentencing during the late 20th century and highlights how biased judgments influenced judges' decision making processes. "Just Mercy" aligns with these findings by emphasizing how racial bias affects sentencing outcomes. The author Bryan Stevenson explores implicit bias and cultural stereotypes illustrating their impact on judges' perceptions and judgments of African American defendants. Through concrete examples. "Just Mercy" vividly exposes instances of racial bias within the criminal justice system and reveals the unjust consequences faced by people of color.
Kamalu, Ngozi Caleb, Margery Coulson-Clark, and Nkechi Margaret Kamalu. " Racial Disparities in Sentencing: Implications for the Criminal Justice System and the African American Community." African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies: AJCJS 4.1 (2010): 1-31. ProQuest.
According to Heather Donald’s article Is the Criminal Justice System Racist? “About one in 33 black men was in prison, compared with one in 205 white men”. The number of black men in jail is appalling enough on its own, but when it is compared to the number of white men in jail it is beyond outrageous. Why are there more Black Americans in jail than White Americans? As stated in What It’s Like to Be Black in the Criminal Justice System “Social science research shows striking racial disparities at nearly every level .”
Statistics show that Blacks are convicted and sent to prison at a much higher rate than whites although they commit crimes at virtually the same rate. Prisons tdehumanize inmates, disconnecting and isolating them from society (Herzing).
African Americans face harsher circumstances in death row sentencing’s than any other race. In a study published in 2009 by Scott Phillips, a University of Denver sociology and criminology professor, conducted research between 1992 and 1999 in Harris County, Texas when an astonishing “504 defendants were indicted for capital murder” (O’Hare, 2010). At the end of his research, Phillips found that “convicted capital murderers were six times more likely to get a death sentence when they killed married whites or Hispanics with college degrees and no criminal record — as opposed to unmarried black or Asian victims with records and no college degrees” (2010). Phillip’s study proves that death row sentencing is bias as African Americans were more likely to be put on death row if their victim was of a higher social class than them. Florida’s death penalty sentencing in recent years has been extreme.
African Americans are more likely to be arrested, convicted, and sentenced to harsher penalties compared to their white counterparts for similar offenses. The over-policing of African American communities, racial profiling, and biased sentencing practices contribute to the lack of opportunities and a cycle of incarceration. Reforming the criminal justice system by addressing racial bias, implementing alternatives to incarceration, and focusing on rehabilitation can help create a more equitable society and provide opportunities for individuals to reintegrate successfully into their
An 18 year old first time offender caught with less than two ounces of cocaine received a 10 year sentence. A 46 year old father of three who sold some of his painkillers to someone he thought was his friend, received a 25 year sentence. In 2006 37.5% of all state and federal prisoners were black. One in 33 african american men were in jail, compared to one in 205 white men and one in 79 hispanic men.
One of the most heated issues in law enforcement is the profiling of individuals based solely upon the race, ethnicity, or national origin of the individual. Statistics show that African Americans are several times more likely to be arrested and put in jail than white Americans. As of 2000, fewer African American men were in college than were in prison. Moreover, black children were nine times as likely as white children to have at least one parent in
George Woodworth once examined the death penalty rates among all death eligible defendants in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between the years of 1983 and 1993. The results of their study proved that the odds of receiving the death penalty in Philadelphia increased by 38% when the accused was black. (“Race and the Death Penalty | American Civil Liberties Union”) This shows that the justice system is biased and proves that a black person is more likely to receive a death punishment for committing the same crime as a white person. Another example of discrimination is when death penalties are given to those that are poor and grow up in underprivileged backgrounds.
A study conducted by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services undertaking claims of sentencing disparities studies the felony sentencing outcomes particularly in New York courts between the years 1990 and 1992. Astonishingly, the study concluded that approximately one-third of minorities sentenced to prison would have received a shorter sentence with the possibility of a non-incarcerative penalty if they had been treated similarly to their white counterparts. Consequently, other sentencing data is consistent with the results of this study’s findings. On a national scale, black males specifically, who were convicted of drug felonies in state courts 52 percent of the time, while white males typically receive prison sentencing approximately 34 percent of the time. In addition, these figures are not constrained to gender given the similar ratio among black and white women as well.
People of all different races and ethnicities are locked behind bars because they have been convicted of committing a crime and they are paying for the consequences. When looking at the racial composition of a prison in the United States, it does not mimic the population. This is because some races and ethnicities are over represented in the correctional system in the U.S. (Walker, Spohn, & DeLone, 2018). According Walker et al. (2018), African-Americans/Blacks make up less than fifteen percent of the U.S. population, while this race has around thirty-seven percent of the population in the correctional system today.
The Huffington Post says, “The U.S. incarcerates nearly seven times as many people, measured as a share of population, as Canada does. People of color are disproportionately represented in the American prison population and are typically punished more severely than white peers for the same crimes” (Daniel Marans). Racism against people of color has caused them to be represented poorly in society as potential criminals, especially black. MIT informs its viewers that “according to the United States census Bureau, blacks are twice as likely to be poor compared to other races, and eight times as likely to be imprisoned. Blacks are also three times more likely to be convicted of drug violations than whites.
Coker gives great evidence that supports racial injustice in the criminal justice system. She discusses on the Supreme Court’s rulings and accusations of racial preference in the system. This article is helpful because it supports my thesis on race playing a role on the system of criminal justice. Hurwitz, J., & Peffley, M. (1997). Public perceptions of race and crime: The role of racial stereotypes.
The prison population rate in the U.S. is 716 per 100,000 people. Unless someone has spent time researching this rate for different countries, the statistic probably doesn’t make much sense. Of the 222 countries and territories listed in the Tenth Edition of the ICPS World Prison Population List, 54% had rates below 150 per 100,000, and the world’s average was 144 per 100,000