The Problems of Criminal Justice System in The USA Essay Example

In this corrupt world, there is no such thing as perfect justice.

The criminal justice system as a whole is flawed. Innocent people are sometimes convicted and sentenced, meanwhile those guilty of crimes sometimes go free. Moreover, a Black man and client of the Center on Wrongful Convictions, named Andre Davis was exonerated based on DNA test results on July 6, 2012, after nearly 32 years behind bars for the rape and murder of a three-year-old girl in Champaign Country. However, it goes both ways. Guilty criminals are also sometimes let free. For instance, A white man who pleaded guilty to the rape and sexual assault of four teenage girls avoided time after a New York state judge said time behind bars would be inappropriate.

Not only that but, as previously proven, the justice system is  —unfortunately enough— racially biased.  Furthermore, the brutal racist killing of George Floyd in Minnesota had brought light to the forces of inequality in abrupt form. Floyd’s murder is part of a systemic pattern. Alongside numerous other Americans such as Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Adam Toledo, Pervis Payne, Elijah McClain, and many many others. 

In support of this evidence, African Americans are jailed in state prisons at five times the rate of whites. Black men face disproportionately cruel incarceration experiences as compared with prisoners of other races. Racial disparities are also noticeable with Black youth, as evidenced by the school-to-prison pipeline and higher rates of confinement for Black juveniles. 

Another flaw the justice system faces is mass incarceration.

To start, It refers to the fact that the United States is the leading country in incarceration and prison populations; we imprison more than 2 million people. Our population makes up less than five percent of the world’s population, but our inmates make up nearly 25% of the world’s inmate population. But the term mass incarceration does not only refer to the number of people in our criminal justice system; it is also in reference to the underlying motivations. 

Although, America did not always incarcerate at such a high rate. In fact, for the fifty years prior to 1972, the number of people in jails and prisons was steadily around 330,000. Since, the numbers have increased six-fold. Those aren’t the only shocking statistics though: about sixty percent of the population of imprisoned people in America are Black or Hispanic. 1 in 3 Black men and 1 in 6 Hispanic men will go to prison in our country.  

Mass incarceration is an outcome of the culture of criminalization. We arrived here due to the criminalization of BIPOC. The basic idea is that the U.S has done two things to increase incarceration rates: made more things illegal and made a push to monitor communities of color more.

To sum it up, our country’s justice system could use some work. A lot of work. We lock up too many — especially people of color — for much too long, without a clear public safety rationale. Mass incarceration and racially biased law enforcement is counterproductive to the goal of bettering public safety.  

These policies call into question the legitimacy of the justice system. In Baltimore City, and in many urban minority communities, there is an inherent mistrust of people who wear police uniforms. By reversing these trends, we can actually better protect and serve our communities. Key reforms will restore the public’s trust in government. Rebuilding trust will increase the likelihood that citizens will work with law enforcement — police, prosecutors, judges, and corrections officials — to keep our neighborhoods safe and vibrant.