Disparity and Discrimination Essay

Statistics continue to reflect issues of contrariety and discrimination at heart the Ameri cornerst mavin distressing justness organisation. The issues that affect the enforcement of faithfulnesss and government policy can publication in justice for the safety of society and/or justice that ordain single out members of society. With the diverse population living in the unify States, stereotypical judgments and attitudes can influence and possibly overwhelm the direction of the venomous justice system. The American system of whitlow justice is thought to hold equal goods, due process of law in addition to moderately and equitable intercession for all people these ideas do not match to the information allowd by law enforcement, court procedures and correctional facilities. Disparity is specify as, The condition or f bit of cosmos unequal, as in age, rank, or degree (American Heritage dictionary, 2005). This idea whether on an individual level or communal, is somethi ng heavily affected by the difficulties of offensive. The conflict issues within members of society and the brisk disparities argon becoming ever more complicated by the ripening immigrant and minority populations in the United States. From these disparities, the seeds of discrimination are sown. disparity is the act of singling out a certain individual/group for unfair treatment and has been defined as, Treatment or consideration establish on physical body or category rather than individual merit (American Heritage Dictionary, 2005). Discrimination should not and cannot be tolerated in a just society, especially in its wretched justice system. There are varied causes of disparity including law enforcement emphasis on certain communities, criminal activity, policies by legislature and by criminaljustice professionals during decision making processes using broad discretion. racial disparity in criminal justice is when the symmetry of a racial/ ethnic group within the control o f the system is greater than the proportion of such groups in the general populationIllegitimate or savage racial disparity results from the dissimilar treatment by the criminal justice system of similarly situated people based on accelerate. In some instances this may involve overt racial bias, while in others it may reflect the influence of eventors that are only indirectly associated with race (The Sentencing go out, 2000, p. 1-2).The impact of racial disparity is evidenced in all levels of the criminal justice system. Statistics show that more than one-fourth of all black males and 16 percent of Latinos can expect to spend time in prison house during their lifetime, while only 4 percent of white males ever go to prison. African-Americans make up 12 percent of the U.S. population, but they compose somewhat half of all prison inmates and 40 percent of those sentenced to death. Even more startling, a third of all African-American males aged 20-29 are right now either locked up , on probation, or on parole (Brown, 2006). Interpretations of the crime data can vary based on its source and these variations portend into question whether the disparities come from racism within the criminal justice system or other factors. There are those that believe racial disparity results directly from discrimination and is a violation of equal justice. It is often that disparities micturate a collective effect for example, colored influences at one floor could contribute to an increase of disparities in the following stages.One illustration given over by The Sentencing Project stated that if bail practices resulted in minorities with similar situations being detained before trial in greater occurrences that whites, these minorities will also be disadvantaged during trial and sentencing due to less access to defense counsel, union resources and treatment options (The Sentencing Project, 2000. p3). Another alarming trend is the use of capitol punishment well(p) in case s of black offenders v. white victims. Disparities are a simple fact of our ever shrinking world as we continue to come into seize with multiple peoples from all over, especially in the United States. While these disparities can often lead to discrimination the reverse can also be true. Society must realize that both of these issues affect decisions resulting from conflicted notions from its members.Within the criminal justice system discretion should be used cautiously and provide justification for such use.In many stages of the correctional process there are possibilities of discrimination due to disparities. If this situation occurs, the action would be considered biased and inconsistent with the idea of justice as it should be upheld in criminal justice proceedings. It is unfortunate that disparity is often intertwined with discrimination directed at minority groups. Additional factors that can contribute to discrimination from disparity are income level, learned skills, educa tion and connection to society. Crime and its conviction should be based on the knowledge of what is right and wrong not the basis that one particular group is more likely to commit that particular crime. Differences or disparities should not have to result in discrimination however, the key lies within the education of society as a whole.ReferencesThe American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright 2005, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated 2005. Brown v. Board of Education. (2006). Retrieved on May 17, 2009 from the Landmark Cases website http//www.landmarkcases.org/brown/home.htmlThe Sentencing Project. (October, 2000). Reducing Racial Disparity in the Criminal Justice System, A Manual for Practitioners and Policymakers. Retrieved on May 17, 2009 from The Sentencing Project website http//www.sentencingproject.org/Admin/Documents/publications/rd_reducingrdmanual.pdf