Justice for all has been a phrase that most people wish for, yet in reality, actions of fairness are dwindling. The justice system seems to be color blind because it focuses on incarcerating people of color compared to the white people. Racial profiling has been a frequent thing in the justice corridors than the government would like to admit. While the country celebrates the history of civil rights movements, it is evident through the broken justice system that the state has years to implement and achieve racial equality. Not only in incarcerations that people of color have experienced injustice but also their voting rights are limited, unequal employment opportunities, inadequate housing and education, and lack of available public benefits.
According to Kerby, people of color account for 30% USA population, but 60% of the incarcerated are the people of color. One in three men of people of color is likely to go behind bars in his lifetime; an indicator of the high level of racial profiling that exists in the justice system. Most African Americans have experienced forceful apprehension from the police. Additionally, in the education system, African Americans are not spared because they are condemned to harsher punishments and unfair treatment compared to the white students. The more stringent penalties have exposed the students to arrests and confinements.
Besides the people of color being shot by white police officers, the rates of juvenile incarceration among African American has been disproportionately represented. 58% of the African American youths are confined in adult prisons because their cases are moved to criminal courts. The United States Sentencing Commission confirmed that the criminal justice system provides longer sentences to African American offenders compared to white offenders. Therefore, justice is lenient towards white people compared to people of color. Thus, it is beyond reasonable doubt, that there is no justice for all.
Work Cited
Kerby, Sophia. "The Top 10 Most Startling Facts About People Of Color And Criminal Justice In The United States - Center For American Progress." Center For American Progress, 2012, https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/news/2012/03/13/11351/the-top-10-most-startling-facts-about-people-of-color-and-criminal-justice-in-the-united-states/. Accessed 25 Jan. 2018.
