Racial Disparities Within The United States - 1793 Words

Racial Disparities in Sentencing In a country where many believe the hatchet of racism was buried with its first black president, many people of color, both non-black and black are still frustrated and disappointed in the progress to be made. Many progressives prefer to see America as a colorblind nation, a nation where if you work hard and do right, you ll fulfill the American Dream. Often this dream is accompanied with challenge after challenge for people of color. Of course what first must be asked is if racism is still present in our justice system and in the fabric of our country? What must be understood first is that answers to these complex issues are never black or white, which leaves far too much gray area to be discussed. In†¦show more content†¦It is important to realize that one of the greatest challenges that has been and is still currently faced by people of color is the racial disparity in sentencing in the criminal justice system. As seen by criminal justice reform agency, The Sentencing Project, â€Å"Racial minorities are more likely than white Americans to be arrested; once arrested, they are more likely to be convicted; and once convicted, they are more likely to face stiff sentences† (Shadow Report to the United Nations†). This can easily be interpreted by observing the data presented (see fig.1), according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, one in every three black males are likely to be imprisoned within their lifetime and one in every six Latino males are likely to be imprisoned within their lifetime as well, this in comparison to the fact that one in every seventeen white males are likely to be imprisoned within their lifetime is quite disgraceful. Although it i s very hard to swallow, this is just one of the many harsh realities which face progressive America. This only helps in asking the question, in this new progressive, post-racial America is this racial gap in sentencing showing any considerable decrease? One manner in which the racial gap can be understood is the fact that whites commit certain crimes at a