Ethics: Racial Discrimination in Criminal Justice
Disparity in the treatment of people accused of crimes in the United States is statistically undeniable. Chapter 4 in your text discusses the concept of institutionalized racism and the video Black Death in Dixie: Racism and the Death Penalty in the United States (https://secure.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?token=39112&aid=18596&plt=FOD&loid=0&w=420&h=315&fWidth=440&fHeight=365) explores the premise that the death penalty targets minorities (Nelson & King, 2007). In this discussion, examine the moral implications for the criminal justice system if disparities in searches, arrests, and incarceration sentences continue to be skewed due to race. Provide at least two moral strategies to help combat this current event issue.
Guided Response:
Morality in criminal justice must be a function of treating all people equally. If this basic premise is true, what does it say about our criminal justice system if people of different races and ethnicities are treated differently?
The common symbol for the law is a blindfolded woman holding a balanced scale of justice. Can we say, as a society and as a criminal justice profession that the law is truly blind to such issues in its application?
