Racial Bias U.S. Criminal Justice System - Free Essay Example

Abstract Federal government officials have noted there is a great unfair disparity amongst, African Americans and other minority group entering or already in the juvenile justice system compared to Caucasian Americans (karger stoesz 2018, p.365). Recovery from slavery is a massive task for most African Americans in America because they were considered non-citizens which further increased ethnic disparity (karger stoesz, 2018). The Native Americans and Latino Americans were not spared from segregation in addition the treaties serving the Native Americans were unequal to other minority groups practices (NAACP, 2018). After slavery was abolished, there were organizations set up whose goal was to control the acts of the freed slaves (NAACP, 2018). The Caucasian Americans were ruthless to the extent of breaking into jails and killing Negroes (Karger, Stoesz, 2018). There were constant fights that existed between African Americans and Caucasians Americans as a result many were killed or injured during the interaction (NAACP, 2018). However, the important facts in history confirm that government officials and law enforcement officials did nothing to neutralize racism in poor underprivileged communities (Karger, Stoesz, 2018). Prejudice in America towards minority youth and adults has been a major setback moving towards the future (Karger, Stoesz, 2018). Racial Bias in the U.S. Criminal Justice System Congress amended an act in 1988, that would ensure that juvenile and adult offenders were confined in secure facilities according to their race (Gabbidon Greene, 2012). Furthermore, it was decided that this model would be followed by every state to maintain fairness among the citizens (Gabbidon Greene, 2012). However, each state was obligated to monitor the condition of the juvenile facilities to make sure they were upgraded (Gabbidon Greene, 2012). In addition, the situation leading to an individual being locked up should follow a similar procedure without racial bias (Gabbidon Greene, 2012). In 2009, a study was conducted on several inmates in cells official results concluded African Americans incarceration is the highest of all (Gabbidon Greene, 2012). Caucasian Americans and Latino Americans had a relatively equal number of individuals that were incarcerated (Gabbidon Greene, 2012). This has been contributed greatly by the fact that many African Americans walking on sidewalks are viewed as criminals on many occasions police apprehend them (Gabbidon Greene, 2012). Tremendous efforts to deter any continuous bias toward minority cultural groups have been going on for years (Free, 2003). President Franklin D. Roosevelt, for instance, established a movement which banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin in the defense industry (Free, 2003). Studies have also reported that the Supreme Court overturned a decision allowing African Americans the right to attend different schools and enjoy equal opportunities (Gabbidon Greene, 2012). The unanimous decision allowed schools to be integrated therefore every citizen had the right to attend whichever school they decided to attend (Weich Angulo, 2000). It is quite unfortunate that many people in American society and some rouge police officers might perceive African Americans as criminals and apprehended them due to prejudice (Weich Angulo, 2000). Furthermore, stringent measures should be taken into consideration to ensure that all the citizens feel secure and safe (NAACP, 2018). Some of the police officials should live in minority areas where they are stationed to get acquainted with their neighbors and other community leaders and residents, so they won’t perceive them as criminals (NAACP, 2018). Moreover, they should go through rigorous training to differentiate between criminal behavioral and law-abiding innocent civilians (Gabbidon Greene, 2012). This would help in the future ensuring equality among every American citizen (Gabbidon Greene, 2012). American social policy and social programs need to stay consistent with the human developmental approach and the expansion of enriching human beings lives rather than if economic growth will ultimately lead, automatically, to the greater good for everyone wherever they live (Black Yeschke 2014, p.21). Promoting racism and segregation based on color is bound to lead to stagnant economy (Gabbidon Greene, 2012). In American society blacks were driven to live in specific areas and were not allowed to interact with Caucasians who were living in wealthy communities (NAACP, 2018). Due to advancement in technology it is expected that all citizens embrace the change .However since blacks have lived in poverty for so long they have to make a choice between purchasing food or expensive computers and I phones (Gabbidon Greene, 2012).There are many African Americans who are talented in certain areas and could increase their productivity if they are offered the same opportunities as white Amer icans(Gabbidon Greene, 2012). However, due to racism, these cultural groups were ignored along with their talents (Gabbidon Greene, 2012). These racist actions lowered many young adolescents and adult’s self-esteem which also affected their mental cognitive behavior patterns. Depression affects individuals differently and a person’s brain consists of three different functions the retrieval, encoding and storage each part must interact together daily (Black Yeschke 2014, p.21). An adolescent or adult encountering a lot of stress could be experiencing encoding† problems brought on by depression and low self-esteem (Black Yeschke 2014). This behavior can lead to a person using drugs, alcohol and abusing prescription medication (Gabbidon Greene, 2012). Racial bias has impeded African Americans progress and influenced their behavior to start committing crimes from petty to more serious crimes (Karger, Stoesz, 2018). In addition, unfair treatment by the authorities creates a retaliatory atmosphere influencing reckless and violent behavior towards other minority cultural groups (Free, 2003). Congress has attempted to change the judicial system by reducing minority cases due to racism and other means of exclusion (Free, 2003). Researches has shown that bias remains rampant in many states (free 2003). The studies carried out have verified the lack of documentation showing that racial bias (Free 2003). Several studies conducted verified the lack of documentation showing that racial bias is legal (Free, 2004). However, many police officers exert excessive force when handling African Americans opposed to the way they interact with Caucasians it has been confirmed (Free, 2004). Furthermore, they use derogatory language and abusive words during their interactions with minority groups (Free, 2004). Relationships between fellow police officers also influence their behavior and interactions with minority cultural groups (Free, 2003). A panel of New York state commission consisted of judges, attorneys, law professors found that there are two judicial systems a very different one for minorities and the poor and another one for whites (Karger, Stoesz, 2018). The panel also found inequality, unfair treatment, and social injustice based on race (Karger, Stoesz, 2018). The court system failed protecting minority youths for example the central park five (PBS,2018). Although some law enforcement officers but not all of them because there are good police officers in society working to change the outlook. (Free, 2003). Therefore, not all police officers promote racism in poor communities (Free, 2003). Every law enforcement officer is expected to uphold law and order and not to influence people to commit more acts of delinquency (Free, 2003). Since a law was established that ensured the public could live together amicably, it is important to promote peace along with encouragement to work harder in their respective fields (Free, 2003). Throughout the years, many scholars have shown youths who commit crimes have been arrested and placed in facilities whereby they are expected to change their ways (Free, 2003). In these facilities, they are treated differently depending on their color and race (Free, 2003). In society blacks continue to be exposed slavery which continues to be enacted indirectly (NAACP, 2018). Even though the laws have been put in place that promote equality, the people who are expected to enhance the laws are unwilling to do so (Gabbidon Greene, 2012). In addition, it has been noted that many males are jailed as opposed to women (Gabbidon Greene, 2012). Many young minority juveniles most notably blacks, experience a run in with the law at higher rates than whites (Gabbidon Greene, 2012). An analysis was conducted concerning various prisons overtime, and witnesses have attested to experiencing harsher conditions from the police brutality than any other law enforcers(Gabbidon Greene, 2012).According to Karger, Stoesz, (2018), â€Å"in 2014, 6% of all black males ages 30 to 39 were in prison, while 2% of Hispanic and 1% of white males in the same age group were in prison(Karger, Stoesz, 2018). Statically out of 682 convicts that received a life sentence 48% consisted of African Americans 29% Hispanic Americans and 20% were Caucasian Americans (karger stoesz, 2018). African American communities are devastated by the amount of male and female incarcerated every year (Karger, Stoesz,2018). This proves that in the twentieth century it can be argued that racism and other forms of exclusion and segregation must be been done away with, there still exists cases of the same crimes committed against mankind (Free, 2003). Conclusion Researches have determined since slavery was abolished, there have been an effort by the government to reduce racism nation (Karger, Stoesz,2018). However, many efforts have been futile concerning equality for various races living in society (Karger, Stoesz,2018). African Americans travel to nations hoping to further their studies have experienced cases of racism on many occasions (Free, 2003). In addition, some learning institutions have been confronted because of racial policies placing African Americans and Caucasians in different quality hotels (Free, 2003). Furthermore, many young minority cultural groups cannot display their knowledge in various learning categories (karger stoesz 2018) Furthermore racism is a factor that has contributed greatly to the failure of economic growth in many states must make sure that all areas progress moves forward in the future (Weich Angulo 2000) References Black, I. S., Yeschke, C. L. (2014). The art of investigative interviewing. Massachusetts, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann. Free, M. D. (2004). Racial issues in criminal justice: The case of African Americans. Monsey, NY: Criminal Justice Press. Gabbidon, S. L., Greene, H. T. (2012). Race and Crime (3rd Ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAG Publications, Inc. Karger, H. K. Stoesz, D. (2018). American social welfare policy: A pluralist approach (8th Ed). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon NAACP. (2018). NAACP | Criminal Justice Fact Sheet. Retrieved from https://www.naacp.org/criminal-justice-fact-sheet/ PBS. (2018). Home | THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/centralparkfive/ Weich, R. H., Angulo, C. T. (2000). NCJRS Abstract National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/Abstract.aspx?id=182442

Explore the ways Steinbeck creates dislike of and sympathy...

‘Of Mice and Men’ is a short novel by John Steinbeck, which is set in 1930s America. At this time in American History they were suffering from a hard hitting economic depression. This book is set on a ranch in Soledad, California. Throughout this novella, Steinbeck addresses key theme, for example discrimination, loneliness and the American Dream. Curley’s wife is a complex character. She is the only woman on the ranch. Curley’s wife is used as a plot device by Steinbeck to explore themes like discrimination and attitudes toward women in the 1930s. Although, she is thought of as a ‘tart’ at the beginning, throughout the novel we develop our opinion of Curley’s wife. Steinbeck introduces us to Curley’s wife through the opinion of†¦show more content†¦The repetition of the colour ‘red’ suggests danger and passion, supported by similarities between her and the girl in Weed. Not only is Curley’s wife described as a floozy, but also as threatening. When she enters the barn where Crook and Candy are, they are both afraid and ‘were scowling down away from her eyes’ this prevention of eye contact could be seen that she is exerting power over the men. She exercises her power by threatening to hang Crooks, ‘I could get you stung up on a tree so easy’, this links to the theme of violence as she acts meanly and cruelly which reflects the social hierarchy of the time. She goes from being bullied by the men to bullying the ‘weak ones’. Curley’s wife gets frustrated by their unresponsive behaviour towards her. She is used to highlight the racist society and to show the status of black people at that time in America. The reader maybe apprehensive toward Curley’s Wife, yet it is obvious that she may be lonely. Curley’s wife has too much time on her hands ‘Her face was heavily made up’ this is shown by how much make up she is always wearing. None of the men on the ranch will talk to her as they are scared that they may be tempted ‘Maybe you better go along to your own house now’ The reason they don’t talk to her is that they are scared that they could get into trouble with Curley. Steinbeck does this to show how isolated women were in the 1930s. Even though Curley’s wife hasShow MoreRelatedHeroes and Villains: Explore the ways sympathy for and/or dislike of a character is created in the text you have studied.2275 Words   |  10 Pagesï » ¿Heroes and Villains: Explore the ways sympathy for and/or dislike of a character is created in the text you have studied. INTRODUCTION: In the novella ‘Of Mice and Men’, Steinbeck has used many different language features in order to create such a complex and sophisticated character whom I will be investigating - Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife is a pivotal character. She has been presented as a villain in the early stages of the book and her character seems to unravel as we read on. As a readerRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men2034 Words   |  9 PagesExplore the ways that Steinbeck creates dislike and sympathy for Curley’s wife in Of Mice and Men. In â€Å"Of Mice and Men† Steinbeck presents Curley’s wife as a problematic and commonly misunderstood character whose paradoxical actions cause the reader to alternate between feelings of contempt and pathos for her character. At the beginning of Steinbeck’s novel, she acts in an obliviously disruptive and inappropriate manner, though as tension rises she sees no harm in using the little power she possessesRead MoreHow Does Steinbeck Present Disadvantaged Characters2537 Words   |  11 PagesExplore some of the ways in which Steinbeck presents disadvantaged characters in the novel In 1937, the American author John Steinbeck published Of mice and Men. Set in the Salinas Valley of California, it conveys the story of the struggles of the American people during The Great Depression. The Great Depression was a massive devastation throughout the whole of America where people suffered and the economy was at a huge crisis. The Unemployment rose from 3% to 26% and many people had died

Dea sea scrolls imperfection Essay Example For Students

Dea sea scrolls imperfection Essay The Dead Sea Scrolls are a series of complete and incomplete scrolls containing biblical literature, as well as some other writings that have not been identified as parallels to any biblical books. Found in Qumran, located in the Judean Desert, these scrolls have been a controversial topic in an archeological sense as well as in a religious aspect. Apparently, the scrolls were copied from other scrolls and then stored in caves near the place that they are assumed to have been written. Theres been a lot of speculation as to the true origin of the scrolls, but common opinion has it that they were copied at Qumran, a settlement near the site that they were found, and then were stored in nearby caves surrounding the settlement. Some of the contents of the scrolls, as mentioned above, had never been seen before in the archeological or religious communities. Being so, much skepticism concerning the scrolls, their meaning, their true origin and their authors has arisen. Of course, not all o f these topics can be tackled at once and surely not all of the questions can be answered, especially because there is no proof of their true origin or their true authors, but certainly one can attempt to enlighten others with the hardships that are faced, even now, by the scribes who wrote them. In viewing the living conditions during the time that the scrolls were written and then comparing the conditions to those of today, one will have a much deeper understanding of what hardship means in the scribal world. Based on this comparison and a near-complete list of typical errors that plague current and ancient authors, one will not only see the types of difficulties involved with replication, but will also realize through doubt and reason that using these scrolls as a source of biblical facts is a hazardous idea. A scribes task may seem easy to some, yet when one actually takes a look at the detail and specificity that is put into their work, one can see that a scribes job is probably just as easy as it is for a two-year old to color within the lines of a picture in their coloring book. Today, with the use of modern technology and well trained professionals, it would be safe to say that simple copying of books and literature is not exactly easy, but is definitely a task that is relatively straightforward and achievable, with little or no room for mistakes. We have scanners that can reproduce images of complete documents, computers equipped with word processors that have accessories such as spell-checker, grammar-check, word counts, and numerous other advancements that simplify the mission of compilation and copying. Not to mention the beloved machine known as the Xerox that creates instant, photographed duplicates of virtually anything on paper. Even when an author is writing a novel, they ar e afforded the opportunity to use a word processor in which they can input their ideas directly into a machine that is capable of checking their spelling and grammar within a few seconds of the command. And the luxury of having a button that instantly gives synonyms for words that they are at a loss for. How much easier can writing be?! In this time where such lovely machines play such a huge role in our everyday life, its so easy to forget that the human race still reigned this planet without their use. Meaning, life went on. Humans did the same things two thousand years ago that we do now. Events were probably modified a bit, but the typical things that humans do today had to have been done long ago, without the comfort of technology as we now know it. Its a safe bet to say that the chairs that we sit on during a normal day are by far more comfortable than beds used by the princes of old. The tables from those ancient times were most likely not made with the same amount of care an d perfection as they are today. Tables were made of stone and raw wood. How hard it must have been to get a tabletop to be flat, without bumps and without the sloping and drooping action of the middle portion. And how hard it must have been to write on such facilities. But then the fact that scribes used to sit on the floor and copy scrolls, crouching over a writing tablet with a piece of parchment across it, gets thrown in and one then pities the scribes that performed so marvelously in such horrible conditions. At least, deemed horrible to those accustomed to modern civilizations way of life. Aside from the physical conditions that the scribe was writing in, one needs to take into consideration the possibility of time constraints that they might have been working in. For instance, war is imminent and a community wants to keep alive its heritage so they appoint a scribe to write down all the important books of literature and religion that applies to their way of life. Now the scrib e is put under pressure to not only copy all these scrolls and books, but now he has on his head that he needs to have it all done very soon or else nothing will live on. Stress is not the way to work when dealing with perfection. Stress may increase ones efficiency, but only if the work being done is expected to be mediocre and imperfect. The scribes writings were important. .ubbcfde8efac4e6746bd8dbc4dec0336e , .ubbcfde8efac4e6746bd8dbc4dec0336e .postImageUrl , .ubbcfde8efac4e6746bd8dbc4dec0336e .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ubbcfde8efac4e6746bd8dbc4dec0336e , .ubbcfde8efac4e6746bd8dbc4dec0336e:hover , .ubbcfde8efac4e6746bd8dbc4dec0336e:visited , .ubbcfde8efac4e6746bd8dbc4dec0336e:active { border:0!important; } .ubbcfde8efac4e6746bd8dbc4dec0336e .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ubbcfde8efac4e6746bd8dbc4dec0336e { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ubbcfde8efac4e6746bd8dbc4dec0336e:active , .ubbcfde8efac4e6746bd8dbc4dec0336e:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ubbcfde8efac4e6746bd8dbc4dec0336e .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ubbcfde8efac4e6746bd8dbc4dec0336e .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ubbcfde8efac4e6746bd8dbc4dec0336e .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ubbcfde8efac4e6746bd8dbc4dec0336e .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ubbcfde8efac4e6746bd8dbc4dec0336e:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ubbcfde8efac4e6746bd8dbc4dec0336e .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ubbcfde8efac4e6746bd8dbc4dec0336e .ubbcfde8efac4e6746bd8dbc4dec0336e-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ubbcfde8efac4e6746bd8dbc4dec0336e:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Estimate a consumption function for the UK economyEven if war was not the time impeding factor that the scribe was working under, he still had the obligation and duty to copy all these books for the community library where they would be kept safe and preserved. A library is the foundation for the religious community, no matter what religion one speaks of. A library can have the same caliber of importance as a courthouse. It holds laws and it holds heritage. Tradition. Its what the religion is based and what continues to make the religion thrive. So now the scribes faces his duty with a very unsuitable writing position as well as a responsibility to have them completed within a certain timeframe. The writing position one can and may get used to, but the pressure for time causes many other problems. When one rushes to complete a job, many errors are liable to take place. When time is a necessity that one does not have, they stay awake for long stretches of time, making sure that every minute is used for the sole purpose or their task. The scribe is the same way. He will stay awake for hours upon hours, slaving away at his obligation to complete the copying of the scroll. Fatigue is sure to fall upon him after some great length of time and his eyesight and judgement are liable to get a bit hazy. Say this is a religious setting and the scribe has a pretty good knowledge of the book that he is copying. If he has that much knowledge of the materials content, then he at least has the general meaning of the material. For example, a scribe is working on the book of Genesis and is writing about the burial of Jacob. The scribe remembers something about Esau being at the burial scene and that his head is severed during that scene and the head gets buried next to Jacob. Keep in mind that the scribe is being rushed to finish this book and he is still very tired from lack of sleep and working on copying this book all day long. He doesnt have time to research and he knows that these events happened, but he just isnt sure if it was in the text itself. So the scribe makes a judgement call and interjects the commentary into the text that he is copying, thinking that if anything, hes only enhancing the documents beauty and its content of information. The word composed might be a better term to use for some of their writings rather than copied because that is what happened quite frequently during that time era. Oral laws and customs were added into texts for purposes of preservation. There are also many cases where there were words, sentences, even paragraphs were omitted from texts. The reasons for these omissions is not for certain, but it would be safe to assume that: 1) the scribe either felt that the information was not needed based on the information being redundant, self-explanatory or otherwise worthless to the literature or: 2) the scribe skipped a line on accident and continued writing like nothing happened or didnt know that he had skipped anything or: 3) he was tired and didnt realize his mistake. Another error, which almost seems common in the ancient writings, is the mistake of confusing one letter for another. When copying an original or even a third-generation duplicate, one must keep in mind that no one is perfect, not even the scribes. Therefore, quest ioning if a word or letter is correct concerning the context of the text, one must keep in mind how many times the piece of information has been passed down and copied. A simple letter can change the whole meaning of a word. Add the letter L to the word WORD and you get WORLD. But thats not the only confusion that there is with letters. The capitol letter I can resemble the lower-case letter of l remarkably. The confusion of these letters can cause serious problems with the meanings of words. Either it makes no sense in context or the word has no meaning at all and in the long run, the sentence loses its whole meaning. In the scrolls, this confusion is even more problematic. A prime example would be the letters Dalet and Resh. They look almost identical except for the little tail reaching off the end of the Dalet. If you were to switch the last letter in the Hebrew word Dor, which means generations, from a Resh to a Dalet, one would come up with the word Dod, meaning uncle. Another example is the letter Mem. This letter is comprised of two Hebrew letters, the Vav and the Chaf, combined at the top and bottom. If these two letters were to get separated mid-word so that they would be viewed as two individual letters rather than just the one, the Mem, again, the same consequences follow. These kinds of typos are so easy to do yet they are very hard to detect. Given the vast array of situations and obstacles that a scribe in ancient times had to deal with, it seems to be a bit ludicrous to place ones beliefs in the hands of a scribe and/or scholar that is unknown. The above obstacles could easily have impaired the scribes ability to copy the scrolls correctly. When the Septuagint was completed, it was known who assisted in the translation and the copying as well as the time that it was copied, making it easier to visualize what working conditions were like. The Septuagint was accepted because of this factor. In the Dead Sea Scrolls case, however, the author is unkn own and the working conditions do not seem promising. Speculation only leads to doubt in this case. Use of the scrolls alone in biblical study would be hazardous to the religious and non-religious communities alike due to the fact that the scrolls do not exemplify uniformity and do not adhere completely to the texts that religions all around the world use today.