Racial Biases in America's Justice System

The article 'If Black People Aren't Criminals, Then Why Are So Many of Them in Prison?' by Sara Buck Doude confronts racial biases in perceptions of crime and criminals. The main purpose of the article is to document the racial bias witnessed in America's Justice system. It also seeks to find a valid interpretation of overrepresented blacks in crime statistics.

“If Black People Aren’t Criminals, Then Why
Are So Many of Them in Prison?”
Confronting Racial Biases in Perceptions of
Crime and Criminals
Sara Buck Doude

Purpose of the Article
• The main purpose of this article was to document the racial bias
witnessed in America’s Justice system.
• It is supposed to evidently give students the ability to recognize racial
disparities in arrests and convictions (Hagan et al, 2005).
• The article also shows that the justice system is biased in terms of
color, which is contrary to the perception of many students.
• The article is also meant to show how crimes and criminals have had a
social perception since time in memorial in the US.
• It also seeks to give a valid interpretation of overrepresented blacks in
crime statistics (Loury, 2008).

Key question addressed by the author
• The author seeks to find out why there are many black people in prisons yet
they are not criminals?
• Why is it that we have a lot of black people in correction facilities?
• Why is it that black people are highly viewed as criminals and not
victims?
• Why is it that some legal policies seem to have a racial profiling feel?
• Why is it that black people are victims of racial hoax as opposed to
whites?
• Further, the author seeks to find a valid interpretation of the overrepresented
number of blacks in crime statistics.
• What are some of the probable factors that make black people top
statistics in terms of crime and incarcerations?

Important information presented in this article
• First, this article clearly demonstrate how students/the society is not able to
recognize racial biasness in terms of arrests and convictions.
• This article provides specific information on fear of the Black man,
whereby the black man has become a victim of many crimes and
accusations due to their race.
• It also provides a clear succinct on how black criminal stereotyping has
evolved over time.
• It provides evidence of racial hoaxes because people believe that criminals
have a black face.
• Finally, it shows the connection between race and incarceration. More
specifically there is higher number of black males in correction facilities.

Main inferences / conclusions
• There is a high rate of denial of the connection between racial bias and crimes.
• There is a high hostility of the fact that racial injustices is inscribed in the
American Justice system.
• Socially perceiving crime and criminals has been witnessed in America for a
long time (Heitzeg, 2015).
• The behavior of the black man has been policed by both informal and
informal sectors thus creating a society that is white patriarchal.
• There is evidence of racial profiling and racial hoaxes in the American justice
system.
• In some cases, racial profiling is even supported by the Federal government
through some of its polices.
• The color of crime and punishment is black in America (Loury, 2008).

Key concepts to be understood from the article
• Potentially America has a racially biased justice system, the department of
justice maybe have racism institutionalized in it.
• Historically, media portrays crime and criminals as people with color.
• There are different reasons that surround the overrepresentation of blacks as
criminals (Hanson & Hanson, 2006).
• Historical fear of the black man.
• Racial profiling and hoaxes that have been witnessed.
• Even in correction facilities black men are still faced with racial gestures
where they receive unequal protection, they have full surveillance. Even
after incarceration black men are still subject to racial bias since a
majority of them are involved in inmate labor.

Authors Assumptions
• There is a racial biased justice system.
• The media which is the main source of information, presents crime
and criminals as people with color.
• Some of the Federal laws make it easy for racial biasness in terms of
arrests and conviction to persist.
• Racial profiling in terms of crime is a historical issue.
• We have a white patriarchal society.
• State agencies like the DEA and police force also have a role in racial
biasness.
• Statistics on crimes and criminals portray a overrepresentation of the
actual scenario with people of color being disadvantaged.

If we take this line of reasoning seriously, the implications are
• We will be able to create a less racial biased society
• There will be policy reforms to amend the laws that make it possible
to reduce racial bias instances.
• Equity in terms of arrests, prosecution and incarcerations.
• A decrease in cases of racial profiling and racial hoaxes in crime cases.
• Reducing a racist and a patriarchal white society

If we fail to take this line of reasoning seriously, the
implications are
• A more white racist and patriarchal society
• Racial injustices especially to the black man in terms of crime and
arrests.
• Legislations that are biased towards the black people in terms of crime
and incarceration.
• Increased rate of racial profiling and hoaxes.
• Mistaken identity of suspects and victims due to race.

References
• Loury, G. C., Karlan, P. S., Wacquant, L., & Shelby, T. (2008). Race,
incarceration, and American values. MIT Press.
• Heitzeg, N. A. (2015). On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964: Persistent White supremacy, relentless anti-Blackness,
and the limits of the law. Hamline J. Pub. L. & Pol'y, 36, 54.
• Hanson, J., & Hanson, K. (2006). The blame frame: Justifying (racial)
injustice in America. Harv. CR-CLL Rev., 41, 413.
• Hagan, J., Shedd, C., & Payne, M. R. (2005). Race, ethnicity, and youth
perceptions of criminal injustice. American sociological review, 70(3), 381-
407.