Student First and Last Name
March 7, 2008
ENG 112-02
Racial Profiling: Alive or Dead?
Imagine if every time while leaving home the experience of constant worrying about the treatment that will be received from the outside world, is one that is haunting and unpleasant. Racial profiling is a topic that my very being is passionate about because many people have become complacent and my want is to actively do my part by researching and hopefully educating others on this prevalence that is still much apart of our society. Racial profiling is an existing observable fact. Race has played a tremendous part in the Criminal Justice System. The courageous effort of many activists and common people alike has been forgotten.
The criminal justice system is a flawed system that does not represent everyone in an equal and fair manner. The criminal justice system is supposed to be based on principals of fairness, justice, and equity. In the preamble of the Constitution, the founders of the U.S. stated that the purpose of our nation was to: “establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, and promote the general welfare. And secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” (Reese 2001).
Does the criminal justice system promote and support social justice for all Americans? Drastic measures have been taken in previous events of crimes, solely because of a person’s race. Race, in the U.S. criminal justice system, significantly affects the probability that a person will be sentenced and convicted of a crime. Race in many cases is the deciding factor of how severe the punishment of the accused will be. The beating of Rodney King took place about 17 years ago, On March 3, 1991; Rodney King was brutally beaten by four Los Angeles Police Department officers. On April 26, 1992 those officers were found not guilty. Why? Is it because the police officers are indeed police officers and they know what is “right”...