Racism in the Criminal Justice System
Punishment and crime in the 21st century have given some of the most racial divide powerful symbols in America. In the past decades, penal practices of chain-gang style, lynching, and judicial and prosecutorial bigotry were common, specifically in the southern criminal justice systems. Richard Wright, in his novel, Native son, explains the social and historical background for the creation of Bigger Thomas. Bigger is sentenced and mostly concerned about his survival in prison- how to contextualize his actions, in front of progressively powerful pressure, frequently racist, put upon him by authority figures. In the same manner, other sources reveal that there has been social and historical creation of racial disparity in America. Barr is the Attorney General who testified before the House judiciary committee concerning the death of George Floyd. Jennifer Rae Taylor, the attorney, a law doctor from Yale University article, demonstrates the African Americans’ struggles in finding justice in the courtroom. The other journal article is written by three sociologists Fernandez, Crutchfield, and Martinez. In this essay, I will analyze the racial bias in the arrest process, inequality in pretrial stages, and sentencing based on Chapter III of Native Son.
Inequality in Sentencing
Wright demonstrates that there has been inequality in sentencing when he highlights how a policeman links Bigger with ape imagery. This has a profound impact on trial nature. If, as the judge, Buckley, and the jury member reason, Bigger is an ape who does not need to be treated like a man, does not require to be given rights and protections the court might give to a white man in the position of Bigger. The Barr sentiments echo how the Bigger was called an ape and not a human being. Those who have been protesting against George’s killing argue that there has been a historical context of racial disparity among black Americans. After raising their voices through protests, they are met with harsh consequences from the white rulers like Barr. Barr claims that there is no systemic racism in the Justice System of the United States. He further argues that there is a false narrative that the State is in an unarmed black people epidemic being killed by the white police officers. Those sentiments reflect how Bigger is likened with an ape showing he is not like the other human beings. The protesters are demanding justice, yet Barr claims the institutions a well built into its bias concerning non-discrimination.
Jennifer categorically outlines a contemporary issue in the historical context of racial disparity. Like the Bigger, there have been challenges that describe the legacies of systems much deeper and older (Wright 301). Similar judgment on race, criminality, and control caused one Mississippi official to state that liberation will need prison systems, still color policy outcomes, and political discourse. Since the past, a widespread, largely unknown racial terror-lynching story continues to shape people’s lives. This historical context, according to the article, still has consequences for the minority groups. It has caused the African Americans have experiences of Murder and are terrorized by mass violence across generations between the civil rights struggle and Emancipation, together with the virtual inaction of federal and local law enforcement and lawmakers; they are the foundation for the injustice and inequality faced today by these minority groups. The three sociologists highlight the juvenile system’s racial disparity issue and highlight the separation done by the criminal justice system between the Latinos and African American youths and the White American youths (Crutchfield et al. 920). This further highlights how the Bigger Thomases are in a separate world; the black and the white.
Racial Inequality in Pretrial Stages
It is challenging to think of a scenario where Mr. and Mrs. Dalton would be permitted into Bigger’s cell before the commencement of his trial. Buckley further tells Bigger he could not control the mob if he is not sentenced to death by the court. This shows the pretrial process is unlawful because Buckley is obligated to the law, not the mob outside. The Antifa movement largely contributed to the protests of the death of George Floyd. Just like the native son, the American Revolution can only be sparked by such communists’ movements. William Barr is knowledgeable about this; that is why he states they will monitor the protest movement, citing that it is the major cause of violence in the country (Benner 1). But who sparked the violence? If the police did not struggle George to death, could there be protests?
In the same manner, the character of Bigger is shaped by oppression and deprivation. Jennifer Rae highlights how minorities like African Americas, Latinos, and Native Americans are kept in jail, presumed to be arrested, while awaiting the trial and gotten harsh sentences at a larger proportion than white Americans (Taylor 1). Like George, who was killed in Broad daylight, Jennifer explores how racial terror was done on the courthouse lawn or in broad daylight. She states that the racial terror lynchings were tied directly to the enslavement history and the white supremacy re-establishment. Additionally, the lynchings were separate from mob violence and hangings committed against white individuals because they intended to terrorize entire black societies and impose a racial hierarchy. The sociologists state that there has been a struggle on the minority groups in the criminal justice system. However, the article highlights that there have been substantial racial disparities that exist and cannot be explained by only legally significant factors such as the crime severity and the offender’s criminal history. Individual sentencing also does not account for juvenile justice processing differences, which play a role in later decisions in several jurisdictions.
Inequality in Arresting
Bigger was given the unfair arrest, and Max displays as a different kind of preacher by believing that Bigger requires a fair trial in the court of law. Brenner’s article shows that the government’s position about racial bias in criminal justice components is based on their arrests. The attorney general should have assured the public that relevant arrests will be made to ensure that justice is served to George and his family. However, he affirms to have communicated with every police chief from each city caused by the Antifa movement. This shows that the whites’ police senior positions echo the novel game that the whites are privileged and have power and authority. Barr sentiments show why the police have been arrests based on racism; the whites are favored. In her article, Jennifer shows that there have been unfair police arrests that targeted the minority groups (Taylor 1). Significantly, the lynchings were not separated hate crimes done by rogue vigilantes. They were directed by racial violence committed to sustaining an unjust social order, Lynchings. The violence left many people dead, majorly marginalized black individuals socially, politically, and financially. This imposed deep trauma on the whole African American community. Jennifer’s article shows that police involvement in racial disparity is deeply rooted in the past.
Crutchfield demonstrates that the blacks’ imprisonment proportion surpassed their representation in all the states’ general population. This implies that the whites are not arrested for minor crimes due to power, privilege, and authority over the black counterparts. They stated that this uneven imprisonment was proof of dissimilar treatment in criminal justice dispensation based on race. Generally, they used racial variations in arrests for fierce crimes. The meta-analysis studies indicated that police arrests are based on race, where the whites are favored compared to blacks.
Conclusion
Both articles highlight the racial disparity in the criminal justice system. Instead of advising Bigger, Buckley tells Bigger that he must follow the wishes of the mob. This shows racial disparity because Buckley should focus on law, not the mob. Additionally, Crutchfield proposes that racial patterns and criminal involvement in the criminal justice system are a significant topic discussed in American society. Communist movement groups should be encouraged in the struggle of ensuring racial disparity is brought to an end. Those in position should not utter sentiments which might appear to the public to be racially based but rather should condemn the acts of racism and bring justice to the criminal justice system. Jennifer echoes these authors’ call by stating that the way to right wrongs is to turn the truth light upon them.
Works Cited
Benner, Katie. “Barr Says There Is No Systemic Racism in Policing.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 07 June 2020. Web. (20 Sept. 2020) :1
Crutchfield, Robert D., April Fernandes, and Jorge Martinez. “Racial and ethnic disparity and criminal justice: How much is too much?.” The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology (1973-) 100.3 (2010): 903-932.
Taylor, Jennifer Rae. “A History of Tolerance for Violence Has Laid the Groundwork for Injustice Today.” American Bar Association, (16 May 2019): 1
Wright, Richard, and Arnold Rampersad. “Fate.” Native Son: The Restored Text Established by the Library of America. Harper Perennial, 2005. 271-430.