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Racism in the American Justice System
“Is the American justice system racist?” Journalist Shane Smith posed this thought-provoking question to President Obama during his 2015 visit to the FCI El Reno in Oklahoma. The President’s candid reply to this amounted to one word, yes. The America justice system is racist because it punishes people of particular races and ethnicities more than others, and this is a well-documented issue. The United States incarcerates more people than any other country in the world, with more than 2.3 million people in the country’s local, state and federal prisons. These figures, by themselves, point to a problem in the country’s system. Closer inspection brings out some more concerning issues, such as the fact that the majority of all inmates at federal prisons belong to minority communities such as African-American and Latino backgrounds. The American justice system is racist because it disproportionately targets minority groups, consistently gives them harsher punishments and
The VICE documentary titled ‘Fixing the System’ gives an eye-opening insight into the prison system within the country, and the harmful effects incarceration has on many people. The documentary focuses on different parties within the system, such as politicians, judges, inmates, and the President of the United States. President Obama made history as the first sitting US president to visit a federal prison to discuss various issues in the justice system. The Vice special begins by laying out the history of the War on Drugs that began in the 1980s and its colossal failure. The documentary also sheds light on the mandatory minimum sentencing that is one of the biggest problems, especially with drug offences in the country. Vice does not just focus on the challenges in the justice system; it gives these issues a human face. Some of those interviewed include inmates in prisons and their families, and they get to speak about how incarceration affected their lives. Interviewing politicians from both sides of the political spectrum also supports the idea that the justice system is broken, as former Attorney General Eric Holder, Senator Corey Booker (D), Rand Paul (D) and Mike Lee (R) all testify.
The first reason why the American justice system is racist is because the majority of those incarcerated in the country come from minority groups. In the documentary, Shane Smith explains that 1 in 3 black men are likely to go to prison in their lifetime, while only 1 in 17 white men face the same chances (VICE). These numbers are quite shocking, and they bring to light the reality that minority groups, especially young males, are more likely to be incarcerated than any other group in the country. Currently, 80% of all inmates in federal prisons incarcerated for drug offences are either Latino or black (Bell 164).
Another reason why the American justice system is racist is because of the disproportionate punishments that people of colour receive for similar crimes as their white counterparts. President Obama explains that this is an unfortunate reality for many drug offenders in the country, especially non-violent ones. The country has put in place mandatory minimum sentencing for such offenders, and this means that more and more people get sent to prison each year. Additionally, officials in the justice system such as law enforcement officers, prosecutors and judges routinely seek and hand out harsher punishment to people from minority groups, indicating a racial bias in the system. President Obama explains that this is a problem that begins with the broader society, and the justice system is merely a reflection of this. For example, when a black student engages in similar disruptive behaviour as a white student, the black youth is more likely to get suspended than their white counterpart (VICE). The same pattern plays out when the same black youth are also more likely to be arrested, prosecuted and sentenced more stiffly and aggressively than their white counterparts for similar offences.
The American justice system is racist because it affects minority communities more than majority groups in the country. In the documentary, inmates and their families speak of their challenges as a result of incarceration. When a family’s breadwinner gets sent to prison, their family suffers because they cannot afford many of the necessities they need. Such families are often plunged deeper into poverty due to incarceration. Additionally, when a person is released from prions, they have a hard time getting jobs because of their record (Harris &Lieberman 9). There is also much stigma that comes with incarceration; a former inmate will always be viewed as a criminal and a bad influence in their community. Such people fail to reintegrate into the community and may end up getting involved in criminal activity. Many of those sent to prison, especially for non-violent drug crimes might be petty offenders who do not deserve the harsh jail terms that they get and this ends up ruining their lives.
To summarize, the Vice documentary titled ‘Fixing the System’ sheds light on some serious and pertinent issues in the American justice system. Since the war on drugs began, minority groups have been the biggest casualty, and often because of blatant unfairness in the justice system. The justice system can be termed as racist because of the disproportionate number of minorities incarcerated, as well as the consistent harsher sentences that they get. President Obama and other politicians talk about the glaring evidence on the failure of the war on drugs, and the massive cost to inmates, their families and communities. There needs to be reform in the justice system to ensure that all people are treated fairly, and also to address the skyrocketing incarceration rates in the country.
Works Cited
“Vice Special Report: Fixing the System.” VICE. https://video.vice.com/en_us/video/fixing-the-system/584ae51c0226b0e6061f54e0Bell, Marcus. “Criminalization of Blackness: Systemic racism and the reproduction of racial inequality in the US criminal justice system.” Systemic Racism. Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2017. 163-183.
Harris, Fredrick C., and Robert C. Lieberman. “Racial inequality after racism: How institutions hold back African Americans.” Foreign Aff. 94 (2015): 9.
