Trials and Conclusion

Finally, the trial process furthers racial disparities and discrimination of minority groups. Trials focus on eyewitnesses, which are not always true accounts of what transpired in a crime (Arthur). Trails are also dependent on testimonies of others that many not always be accurate either. Once the trial starts African Americans and other minorities have already been through the pre-trial steps and are disproportionately more likely to be convicted of the criminal charges.

Race plays a role in all of the factors in the criminal justice system. These blog posts were just a brief overview of how race is intertwined in the system and how this can lead to more African American and other minority people being sentenced to prison for longer terms, ,and not being able to get out. The whole system keeps racially minorities in a place that they have a hard time getting out of. Once someone is arrested then convicted of a crime it is hard for them to reenter society once they are out of prison and creates a cycle of potentially entering the system again. More needs to be done to figure out how to reduce racial disparities and discrimination in the criminal justice system.


References:

Arthur, Mikaila. “Courts, Juries & Trials.” Minority Issues in Justice. PowerPoint.

Black, Timothy. 2009. When A Heart Turns Rock Solid. New York: Vintage Books.

Cole, David. 1999. “Judgement and Discrimination.” Pp. 117-138 in Blind Goodness: A Reader On Race And Justice, edited by Alexander Papachristou. New York, NY: The New Press.

Goffman, Alice. 2014. On The Run. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Heffernan, Shannon. 2014. “Jury Nullification.” The Life of The Law, 1-4.

Merriam-Webster: 2014. “Bail.” Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Retreived December 2014 (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bail)

Merriam-Webster: 2014. “Jury.” Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Retreived December 2014 (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/juries)

Merriam-Webster: 2014. “Public Defender.” Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Retreived December 2014 (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20defender)

Papachristou, Alexander, ed. 2011. Blind Goodness: A Reader On Race And Justice. New York, NY: The New Press.