Race Crime and Justice

must respond to the posts of other students at least twice. Excellent posts will be supported by evidence from the course materials, offer new substantiated ideas, and encourage discussion.

ANSWER

RCJ M3 Peer Discussion Reply

I agree with Robin that there were substantial deficiencies in the way the court conducted trials and ruled on cases. The court was often corrupt and motivated by financial gain rather than a desire to ensure justice (Gabbidon & Greene, 2018). This led to a number of unfair trial practices and a general feeling among the black community that the court system was not working in their interests. Another issue than the one mention by Robin is the issue that regularly came up was the way in which juries were selected. Juries were almost exclusively white, which meant that black defendants were tried by an all-white jury. This was unfair and often led to unjust verdicts.

The Ferguson court practices led to disparities that impacted ruling for the African Americans. The Blacks were often unable to resolve the municipal charges despite the fact that they were taking the necessary steps to resolve their cases. The courts relied on discretions that put the Blacks at a disadvantage when appearing in courts. Discretions were being used to generate revenue for the government and this often resulted in unfair practices that favored the whites. The Ferguson court practices led to a lot of anger and frustration among the black community which eventually led to unrest and violence. The Ferguson court practices created a two-tiered system of justice in which the Blacks were being treated unfairly. This system of justice led to a lot of tension and frustration among the black community.

I agree with Robin that there are various means of collecting fined and compelling appearances in court which means one doesn’t have to appear in court. The collection of fines and compelling appearances would not engender the courts or cause disrespect since there are social factors such as employment issue, child care issues and transportation issues that influence availability and appearances in courts (Walker, Spohn & DeLone, 2016). I also don’t believe that it is sufficient to prevent discrimination by prosecutors when they hold explicit and implicit bias throughout the criminal justice process. The selection of juries should focus on preventing discrimination and biasness in the criminal justice process.

References

Gabbidon, S. L., & Greene, H. T. (2018). Race and crime. Sage Publications.

Walker, S., Spohn, C., & DeLone, M. (2016). The color of justice: Race, ethnicity, and crime in America. Cengage Learning.