Facts
According to the bureau of justice in the United States, 6% of all African American males aged 30-39 were sentenced to prison, while only 2% Hispanic and 1% white males in the same age category were sentenced to prison.
In 2014, over 2700 black males have prison sentences over one year, per every 100,000 black male residents in the U.S. This is huge compared to the 1,000 hispanic males per 100,000, and 465 white males per 100,000.
Introduction
The United States of America is known to be one of if not the most diverse countries in the world racially. With this fact in mind, it may come as a surprise that racial disparity and racism in courtrooms is still a controversial issue today. We before I go deeper into the topic, first, I must talk about the history of it. We all know that racism in America still exists today, but we may not know the history and big events of it. That’s where I come in.
The Early Days
Background (1763-1829)
When the constitution of the United States was being made in 1789, white supremacy and slavery were included in the criminal justice system. At this time, citizens were defined as free white men. Also, lynching was commonly used at this time.
Anti-Slavery (1830-1860)
Later, the Lynch law or death penalty law, was renewed in turn with the anti-slavery movement. This was because there were numerous occasions of violence towards people of colors in the early 1830’s. In 1831, a priest by the name of Nat Turner led the slave insurrection in Virginia.
Later, the court verdict in Dred Scott v. Sandford made African American slaves and their children were considered impure citizens or just non-citizens, which increased the use of racism in the criminal justice system.
Post Civil War (1865)
After the civil war ended, which made slavery illegal as part of the thirteenth amendment of the constitution, there was a dramatic increase in violent oppression towards African Americans. This led to more bias in sentencing and more violent incidents between white men, and African American men.
Bland Period (1865-1877)
During this period of time, the Ku Klux Klan was founded in order to keep control over freed slaves after the civil war.
Also in 1868, the fourteenth amendment of the constitution overruled the Dred Scott v. Sandford, saying that “all those born or naturalized in the United States are entitled to equal protection under the law, regardless of race.”
During the rest of this period, the violent and verbal oppression towards African Americans continued, but there is still a bright light ahead for them.
Pre-Present Day
Denied Equal Protection (1935)
In 1935, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned convictions of nine African American boys in Norris v. Alabama. These boys had previously been rejected equal protection under the law of the fourteenth amendment. This was because juries say that African American teenagers weren’t included in making and redoing of the amendment.
Death of Emmett Till (1955)
A fourteen year African American boy by the name of Emmett Till, was murdered for flirting with a white woman in Mississippi. Till’s mother asked to have an open casket funeral to show magazines and newspapers the injustice and unfairness of the Mississippi criminal justice system.
The Civil Rights Act (1964)
In 1964, the civil rights act disallowed discrimination based on race, color, religion, and sex. The civil rights act also erased all local laws that allowed this discrimination.
The Voting Rights Act (1965)
In 1965, polling, literary tests, and other public says that used to exclude African Americans are no longer in use thanks to the voting rights act. This act, the sexual to the civil rights act, shows the growth in America’s mindset about African Americans in not just the criminal justice system, but all across America.