An Open Letter to America’s Criminal Justice System
Dear America’s Criminal Justice System,
My name is Chloe Young and I am currently a freshman at Summit Shasta Public School. In my English class, we have been discussing stories and articles about the nature of evil. The nature of evil is a consequential topic weighted with various aspects. Through this project, I have realized that many issues of America fall into this matter. One problem I want to shine a light on is the nation’s unfair criminal justice system. Despite being in a “post-racial” era, racism is still occurring every day. When it comes to law enforcement, I believe people of color are targeted more than white people. How will we end racism if this keeps happening? How will we improve as a nation? Based on my research, I argue that people of color face racial prejudice in the criminal justice system because they are more likely to be incarcerated and have a harder time of recovery in life after prison.
To start, people of color are more likely to be convicted of their crimes. To give some context on the issue, the United States has the largest criminal justice system in the world with over 6.7 million Americans in some form of correctional control today. The Sentencing Project, a research-based organization and advocacy center, wrote an article titled, “Report to the United Nations on Racial Disparities in the U.S. Criminal Justice System” providing the incarceration rates of America. According to them, “African-American adults are 5.9 times as likely to be incarcerated than whites and Hispanics are 3.1 times as likely”. In other words, the rate at which black people are being incarcerated is doubled the rate of white people. The rise of mass incarceration starts with unfair police contacts. Policemen are more likely to stop and search African men on the road than white men. The police force lacks consistency and fails to have an equal justice system. Additionally, according to Vera: Institute of Justice, in their work titled “Research Confirms that Entrenched Racism Manifests in Disparate Treatment of Black Americans in Criminal Justice System”, “ ‘They are rooted in a history of oppression and discriminatory decision making that has deliberately targeted black people; in a false and deceptive narrative of criminality; in implicit as well as conscious bias; in the legacy of structural racism and segregation’ ”. How will we be able to focus on the future if we hold past oppression accountable? The differences in our communities are from America’s deep history of discrimination. The nation is so ingrained in the history of oppression that it affects our everyday lives. Overall, this data shows the racial disparity in America’s criminal justice system.
Furthermore, people of color have a harder time of recovery in life after prison. To give some context on the issue, over 2 million people are released from prison every year with 68% of them being people of color. Life after prison is very tough because it is like running through an obstacle course blindfolded. Without knowing the outcome, many ex-cons worry about how their life will unfold. There is one question that people worry about: Can everything go back to normal? According to Race Forward in the article titled “Why Reentry Is Incredibly Hard for Formerly Incarcerated Black and Latin People”, “Black and Latino men were much more likely to go online and apply for jobs or cold call employers. Whereas a lot of the White respondents had social connections to jobs and got better jobs that were more stable”. The source of racial disparity is much deeper than what it appears to be. The United States of America operates in two criminal justice systems: one for people of color and one for white people. The wealthy white people have access to job findings and homes, while Black and Latino men fall into a state of poverty after prison. According to news analysts John Gramlich, the Pew Research Center observed that the income of Black and Latino ex-convicts on average was around $6,000 for the year. Poverty researchers call that a level of deep poverty. The White respondents were earning about double that.” People of color have a harder time of recovery because finding jobs and homes is difficult with unequal opportunities. Overall, this data shows the unfair opportunities different minority groups have.
Some might argue that the given crimes are appropriate. However, the crime rates of white people are comparable with the rates of people of color. The ACLU conducted research that compared crime rates between different ethnic groups and “found that blacks were 3.7 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites in 2010, even though their rates of marijuana usage was comparable”. People should be held accountable for their crimes but minority groups face longer sentences and harsher punishments. The lack of equality is bringing us back as a nation. How can we solve this problem?
I am reaching out to you because, with your help, we can solve this issue. Many people have contributed to solving the problem, but we need your help the most. One thing we need to do is hold prosecutors and police responsible for deliberate misconduct. They need to be held liable for their actions because past misconducts landed innocent people in jail. Most importantly, America needs to look past the color of a person’s skin and look at the ethics of the crime. The diversity and uniqueness of America is what makes the nation great. If we eliminate this problem, then peace will be bestowed among communities. America will move forward and improve as a nation.
Sincerely,
Chloe Young
