Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System: A Summary

1985 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Petersilia
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Racial Disparities ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Differential Treatment ◽  
Criminal Records ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
System A ◽  
Criminal Justice Systems ◽  
Comprehensive Examination ◽  
Future Policy

This article summarizes a comprehensive examination of racial discrimination in the criminal justice systems of California, Michigan, and Texas. In each of those states, judges typically imposed heavier sentences on Hispanics and blacks than on whites convicted of comparable felonies and who had similar criminal records. Not only did these minorities receive harsher minimum sentences but they also served more time. It is chiefly at the sentencing stage where differential treatment is most pronounced. I discuss what could account for differences in sentencing, and suggest areas for future policy and research attention.

scholarly journals What do we know about girls in the care and criminal justice systems?

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 134-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Fitzpatrick
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Looked After Children ◽  
Criminal Justice Systems ◽  
The Law ◽  
Future Policy ◽  
And Control

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight the neglect of girls in care who come into conflict with the law, arguing that a gender-neutral approach in this area risks further marginalising an already vulnerable population. Design/methodology/approach A critical review of the literature and current policy climate is undertaken to explore what is known about the experiences of females in the justice system, as well as knowledge gaps. Findings Evidence on the prevalence and nature of offending by girls in care is limited. However, as looked after children, girls may be more likely to have their own behaviour unnecessarily criminalised. Whilst females and males share some prior experiences of victimisation and trauma, girls also have distinct needs and may be assessed and managed by state care and control systems in very different ways. Research limitations/implications The paper is not based on primary research and does not present a systematic review of the literature. Practical implications The need to listen to girls and young women, and a far greater recognition of backgrounds of trauma must underpin future policy and practice. Diversion from the formal criminal justice system wherever possible is also a key goal to aspire to. Originality/value This paper focuses on the specific experiences of females. It calls for a gender-sensitive, trauma-informed approach to working with girls and women from the care system who come into conflict with the law, and questions the value of criminalising those whom the state previously deemed to be in need of welfare and support.

Engaging Employers and Business in the Hiring of Individuals with Criminal Records

2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 15-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Gordon Swensen ◽  
John Rakis ◽  
Melanie G. Snyder ◽  
Randall E. Loss
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Criminal Records ◽  
Recidivism Rates ◽  
Lancaster County ◽  
System A ◽  
Collaborative Community ◽  
Reducing Recidivism

The successful reentry and reintegration of ex-offenders with disabilities will be discussed in terms of barrier removal, employer perception, and an improved relationship with the criminal justice system. A criminal record limits opportunitiesfor employment and without collaborative community supports can increase both recidivism rates and increase costs to an over-burdened criminal justice system. Employer relationships, including outreach, marketing and evidence-based partneringlcollaboration will be reviewed, including a model program from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania that supports the discussion. Special considerations for those with sex offenses will be provided, as well as efforts to eliminate the stigma involved with criminal and/or felony records. The correlation between disability and delinquency in terms of both impairment and vocational impediments is described through three disabilities (TBL Substance Abuse/Dependency, and Mental Illness). The role of the VR counselor in terms of community efforts at reducing recidivism, increasing employment outcomes for ex-offenders/clients, through effective partnerships, can affect significantly both societal and economic improvement, as well as impact overall recidivism, reentry and community reintegration issues for ex-offenders.

Fear of a School-to-Deportation Pipeline: How Teachers, Administrators, and Immigrant Students Respond to the Threat of Standardized Tests and Deportation

2021 ◽  
pp. 004208592110264
Author(s):  
Patricia Maloney ◽  
Duke W. Austin ◽  
SaunJuhi Verma
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Standardized Tests ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Immigrant Students ◽  
Zero Tolerance ◽  
School Authority ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
Criminal Justice Systems ◽  
Authority Figures

Existing studies evaluate zero tolerance policies and the school-to-prison pipeline. Additional research identifies the role of criminal justice systems in deporting immigrants. Our work bridges these two literatures by discussing how immigrant students navigate the criminal justice system within schools. Using interviews with immigrant students, teachers, and administrators, we address the question: How is the school-to-deportation pipeline maneuvered by stakeholders? Our study identifies how school authority figures react to and even use the fear of the pipeline to (1) either protect students from becoming criminalized or (2) exclude students from standardized exam participation so as to maintain funding sources.

Shame and blame: Secondary stigma among families of convicted sex offenders

2021 ◽  
pp. 174889582110173
Author(s):  
Douglas Evans ◽  
Adam Trahan ◽  
Kaleigh Laird
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Sex Offender ◽  
Family Members ◽  
The United States ◽  
Formerly Incarcerated ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Sex Offender Registry

The detriment of incarceration experienced by the formerly incarcerated has been increasingly explored in the literature on reentry. A tangential but equally concerning issue that has recently received more research attention is the effect on family members of the incarcerated. The stigma of a criminal conviction is most apparent among families of convicted sex offenders, who experience consequences parallel to those of their convicted relative. Drawing from interviews with 30 individuals with a family member incarcerated for a sex offence in the United States, this study explores manifestations of stigma due to familial association. The findings suggest that families face negative treatment from social networks and criminal justice officials, engage in self-blame and that the media’s control over the narrative exacerbates family members’ experiences. Given the pervasiveness of criminal justice system contact, the rapid growth of the sex offender registry in the United States, and the millions of family members peripherally affected by one or both, justice system reforms are needed to ensure that family members are shielded from the harms of incarceration and registration.

Found Out and Opting Out

2016 ◽  
Vol 665 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Esther Lageson
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Criminal History ◽  
Criminal Records ◽  
Opting Out ◽  
Private Lives ◽  
Criminal Histories ◽  
The Relationship

Online criminal histories document and publicize even minor brushes with the law and represent people who may not even be guilty of any crime. This has dramatically changed the relationship that millions of Americans have with the criminal justice system and may affect their social and private lives. Drawing on interviews and fieldwork with people attempting to expunge and legally seal their criminal records, I explore how online versions of these records impact family relationships. Many who appear on mug shot and criminal history websites are arrestees who are never formally charged or convicted of a crime. The indiscriminate posting of all types of justice contact on websites may impact those who, for the most part, desist from crime and are core contributors to their family and community. I find that many of those who are affected by the stigma of online records did not know that records existed until they “popped up” unexpectedly, and that this experience leads them to self-select out of family duties that contribute to child well-being.

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