Racial Inequality in the Criminal Justice System Essay Example

As societies and societal norms evolve, criminal justice should also evolve. In today’s culture, equality is becoming an increasingly key element. Racial inequality is one of the major issues with the criminal justice system. Indigenous, black, and other racial and ethnic minority groups are systematically oppressed in western countries like The United States and Canada. 

Indigenous peoples are disproportionately affected by hate crimes and police misconduct. In contrast to The United States of America, Canada has a history of marginalizing and mistreating indigenous peoples as opposed to the injustices the black community faces south of the border. The Canadian government has recently acknowledged these injustices. Actions such as sensitivity training are greatly needed when dealing with people of diverse backgrounds. The introduction of less violent and less brutal crime reduction techniques has been crucial in improving the criminal justice system in Canada. Some of the techniques include healing circles and restorative justice programs. These programs allow the convicted perpetrator to acknowledge the magnitude of their crime and the harm they caused. It also allows them to express their remorse and speak with their victims. In addition to these new criminal justice techniques, police departments are encouraged to recruit and hire more indigenous officers. These indigenous officers can help provide more appropriate training to their colleagues. They can also help the indigenous communities by implementing more appropriate justice techniques, both in the community and in the court system. 

Indigenous Protests are increasingly common in Canada. These protests are meant to combat and bring awareness to the unethical treatment indigenous citizens face throughout the country. One such movement is the Idle No More movement. This initiative is led by a generation of university-educated indigenous youths, most of whom are women. This movement’s purpose is to reform the inequalities indigenous women face. The change that is needed isn’t happening fast enough. Systematically, these people are oppressed even if society can no longer see the inequalities. 

My grandfather, June Hawco, is from indigenous lineage. He was unable to attain his indigenous status with the government due to the past mistreatment of indigenous communities. When his grandfather, John Blache, was born, the Canadian government made it exceedingly difficult to maintain your indigenous heritage and identity. To gain indigenous status when it was introduced, you needed both your indigenous and government birth certificates. His birth certificate from Quebec was unfortunately lost by the Quebec government. This means none of his descendants can claim their indigenous status. 

Much like the indigenous communities of Canada, black communities in The United States are disproportionately affected by police and police brutality. The majority of police departments in The United States have primarily white officers. Ferguson, a suburb of St Louis, Missouri, is a primarily black neighbourhood. The injustices in Ferguson lead to police body-cams being implemented nationwide. These cameras were implemented to help reduce the use of unnecessary force often used by police officers towards civilians. The idea behind these cameras is that psychologically, people change their behaviour based on who is watching. If they know their superiors can see their every move, they’re more likely to act responsibly. The unfortunate reality is that these body cams can easily break or be turned off, either intentionally or accidentally. Even when these cameras are working properly, footage can be tampered with or lost. 

Protests against the racism shown by not only the police departments but the government in The United States have become more and more common. In August 2017, protests and riots began in objection to the removal of a statue. The statue in question was that of a confederate soldier, Robert E. Lee, in Charlottesville, Virginia. The left-wing protesters, who advocated for the removal, clashed with the right-wing protesters, who opposed the removal. Robert E. Lee was a confederate soldier who fought for the south during the American Civil War. His supporters are often white supremacists. His ideology and morals are the primary reasons his statue was believed to be insensitive to the black community and the reason so many people advocated for the removal. One person was killed during these riots by white supremacists and many others were injured. 

Inequalities in criminal justice aren’t just in North American countries. Global injustices in police techniques are a big issue. One of these injustices can be seen in France in late 2018. French citizens took to the streets in protest to oppose the rising cost of living. These protests quickly became destructive and violent. Many of the blue-collar protestors wore high-visibility vests, symbolizing their distress. Despite many people and historic symbols being injured and damaged, there was no criminal action. This protest is an example of a political, but non-criminal protest. The difference is very subtle and depends largely on public opinion. It also depends on those involved in the protests. Often when minorities are protesting their mistreatment, it’s viewed as criminal. This is a stark contrast to the political view of the aforementioned French protests.

Injustices and inequalities are extremely common within the criminal justice system. From minorities protesting their discrimination to the majority protesting government decisions, it is clear that justice is often taken in the hand of civilians. Protests are a way of getting authority figures to listen to issues. Indigenous protests advocate for the equal rights of indigenous peoples. Protests from the black community operate to accomplish the same. The French protests against the high cost of living aim to get the government's attention and better the lives of all citizens. Protests are vital in changing the way communities are treated by those in power.