scholarly journals Privilege and Humility in Addressing Knowledge Divides

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Oliver
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Racial Disparities ◽  
Community Groups ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Diverse Community ◽  
Community Issues

This article describes some of the author’s experiences in 18 years of working with diverse community groups around issues of racial disparities in criminal justice. It argues that academics can play important roles in locating and sharing knowledge about community issues, in provoking discussions, in carrying knowledge between groups, and in actively attending to the voices of those who are most oppressed and marginalized. It highlights the value of bringing new knowledge into a discussion and the tensions that arise as people in different positions seek solutions to identified problems. Academics in community groups should be understood as a type of privileged ally who experiences cross pressures like those of other activist professionals. A stance of reflexive humility is recommended.

The Influence of Latino Ethnicity on the Imposition of the Death Penalty

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 421-431
Author(s):  
Sheri Lynn Johnson
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Racial Disparities ◽  
Death Penalty ◽  
Capital Punishment ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Archival Studies ◽  
Related Literature ◽  
History Of ◽  
Modern Era

With respect to African Americans, the history of racial discrimination in the imposition of the death penalty is well-known, and the persistence of racial disparities in the modern era of capital punishment is well-documented. In contrast, the influence of Latino ethnicity on the imposition of the death penalty has been studied very little. A review of the limited literature reveals evidence of discrimination against Latinos. Archival studies generally find ethnicity-of-victim discrimination, and some of those studies find ethnicity-of-defendant discrimination disadvantaging Latino defendants; these findings parallel the findings of the much more robust literature investigating bias against African American defendants and victims. The controlled experimental studies generally show both ethnicity-of-defendant and ethnicity-of-victim discrimination disadvantaging Latinos. Related literature investigating stereotypes, animosity, and discrimination in other criminal justice decisions further suggests the likelihood of ethnicity discrimination in the imposition of capital punishment, as well as the need for further research.

“Justice Is Something That Is Unheard of for the Average Negro”: Racial Disparities in New Orleans Criminal Justice, 1920–1945

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey S Adler
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Racial Disparities ◽  
Race Relations ◽  
New Orleans ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Jim Crow ◽  
Small Minority ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Racial Biases ◽  
The Social

Abstract Historians of race relations and criminal justice have emphasized the ways in which the rule of law emerged as a mechanism of racial control in the early twentieth-century South, gradually supplanting rough justice. This essay examines the protracted, uneven pace of this transformation and the development of Jim Crow criminal justice in New Orleans. An analysis of the adjudication of homicide cases in New Orleans between 1920 and 1945 reveals that the majority of black-on-white homicides did not result in convictions, and only a small minority of African Americans suspected—or even convicted—of interracial murder went to the gallows. But racial disparities in convictions and executions widened dramatically during the interwar era. Thus, this essay analyzes the social, cultural, and legal shifts that expanded race-based differentials in criminal justice. It also argues that, ironically, Jim Crow prescriptions intensified white fears of African American crime and helped to generate the anxieties that legal measures were imposed to address, increasing racial disparities and making racial biases in criminal justice self-perpetuating.

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.

Racial disparities in treatment service utilization among U.S. adolescent substance abusers with criminal justice system involvement

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 57-57
Author(s):  
J. Jin ◽  
C. Fuller ◽  
X. Liu ◽  
B. Fan ◽  
N.A. Ukonu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
African American ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Racial Disparities ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Substance Abusers ◽  
Substance Use Treatment ◽  
Adolescent Substance ◽  
Treatment Services

IntroductionPrevious studies have shown that African American youth are over-represented in the Criminal Justice System (CJS). Substance use problems are common among those with CJS involvement. However, less is known regarding racial disparities, among youth with CJS involvement, in receiving substance use treatment services.ObjectiveTo examine racial disparities with regard to receiving treatment services for substance use related problems, among youth with (CJS) involvement.MethodsData were obtained from the 2006–2008 United States National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) in USA. Among White and African American adolescents (Ages 12–17) with recent CJS involvement and who met criteria for alcohol or illicit drug abuse or dependence (N = 602), racial differences in receiving treatment services for substance use problems were examined. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of service access among the adolescents, to see if the racial disparity could be explained by individual-level, family-level, and criminal justice system involvement factors.ResultsWhile 31.2% of White adolescent substance abusers with CJS involvement had received treatment for substance use related problems, only 11.6% of their African American counterparts had received such treatment (P = 0.0005). Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that access to treatment services can be predicted by substance use related delinquent behaviors, but that racial disparities in treatment still exist after adjusting for these factors (AOR = 0.24, 95%CI = (0.09,0.59), P = 0.0027).ConclusionsThere is an urgent need to reduce racial disparities in receiving substance use treatment among U.S. youth with CJS involvement.

Race and policing in historical context: Dehumanization and the policing of Black people in the 21st century

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akwasi Owusu-Bempah
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Racial Disparities ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Black People ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Advance Research

Too little consideration has been given to conceptualizing race within mainstream criminological scholarship. One consequence of this oversight is the existence of a stale debate over the causes of racial disparities in crime and criminal justice outcomes. This article draws upon intersectionality to present an historical analysis of the policing of African Americans. The article argues that the concept of dehumanization helps explain the structural inequalities that produce crime within African American communities and the presence of racism within law enforcement agencies. The discipline may advance research in this area by adopting a constructionist racialization framework.

scholarly journals "Case Study 7.2 Data to Bring Justice: Addressing Disparities in the Criminal Justice System"

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Oliver
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Public Engagement ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Public Sociology ◽  
Community Groups ◽  
Professional Sociology ◽  
System P ◽  
Research Action

Pamela Oliver "Case Study 7.2 Data to Bring Justice: Addressing Disparities in the Criminal Justice System" Preprint of chapter in Philip Nyden. Leslie Hossfelt, and Gwen Nyden (eds.) 2011 Public Sociology: Research Action and Change. Pine Forge Press. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/public-sociology/book234763 This is a case study of my racial disparities work that overlaps somewhat with other presentations I have made of the same material. My work has involved doing descriptive statistical analyses of racial patterns of imprisonment and making public presentations on these patterns, as participating in many meetings of boards and committees working on these issues. Part 1 of this article describes the background of my work and how I got involved, partly through connections with community groups and partly through luck. Part 2 describes my public engagement, including giving talks and participating in many meetings as well as doing analyses at the request of community groups. Part 3 is reflections on the differences and tensions between public and professional sociology.

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