Inquiry Project Map

1. “Cocktail Paragraph” – In the past African Americans were forced to work for non African Americans, then segregation, and then US set a law against discrimination. Even though the law states every individual is equal and shall be treated the same, I felt as if there is still discrimination in the criminal justice system. I’ve looked through several cases and wondered why the incarceration rate for African Americans is higher than non African Americans. There were articles that I’ve found online that stated African Americans receive longer sentences than non African Americans even though the crime that was convicted is the exact same. I believe this brings fault to the criminal justice system due to the inequality among human race.
2. Inquiry Project Outline –
   Inequality of human race in the criminal justice system led to a higher rate of incarceration for African Americans out of all human races.
   • African Americans receiving a longer sentence than non African Americans.
     • The US Sentence Commission found that “prison sentences of black men were nearly 20% longer than those of white men for similar crimes.”
       • The racial gap between African Americans and non African Americans have increased ever since the “Supreme Court restored judicial discretion in sentencing in 2005.”
     • “In the 2005 case US v. Booker, struck down a 1984 law that required federal district judges to impose a sentence within the range of federal sentencing guidelines.”
       • After the case ended, “sentences of black were on average 15.2% longer than the sentences of similarly situated whites.”
     • Less than 10% of criminal cases go to trial and many African American defendant were not given a trial.
     • Difficult to find a career after leaving prison, which leads to another crime.
       • no high school diploma = likely to convict a crime resulting prison time rather than finding a job.
       • Difficult to escape a life of crime.
     • Difficult to make a family or take care of their children.
       • Children experiencing a childhood without a parent, emotionally strained, and little to no education.
         • Children that live under such condition and stressed may develop anger and violence, which led to convicting crimes following their parent’s footsteps.
           • break up of families and friends
       • Could of been the only person in the family who has an income and when locked up in jail, his or her family may receive no aid thus feeling locked up also.
         • “instilling further poverty”
         • A case that has happened to Carl Harris, a crack dealer that has been given “a 20-year prison sentence at the age of 24, was forced to abandon his family when he was locked up.”
           • Without Harris, his wife and 2 daughters ended up homeless because he was the only one making a decent amount that was able to pay the rent and cost of food.
   • Discrimination among the human race in the justice system
     • In NYC and CA polices often stop African Americans at a rate higher than non African Americans.
     • According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the highest incarceration rate in the United States is “about 500 people per 100,000 resident”
       • “incarceration rate for African Americans is about 3,074 per 100,000 residents, which is more than 6 times as high as the national avg.”
   • Racial inequality in youth sentencing.
     • “Human Rights Watch reports that more than 2,500 people in the United States have been convicted of a crime committed before they were 18 years old and sentenced to life without parole.”
       • this is the most extreme sentencing that a person under the age of 18 receives.
       • the youth is to be “transferred from juvenile court to be tried as adults in criminal court”
         • “62% of the youth prosecuted in the adult criminal system.”
       • “1 out of every 8 African-American youth who are convicted of killing someone will be sentenced to life without parole.”
         • “73% of the people serving life without parole in the U.S federal prisons for a crime committed under age 18 are people of color.”
       • Without any opportunity of parole these youth are hidden from the society, even when grown or matured their cases may not be reconsidered or reviewed.
     • “45% of all incarcerated youth are African-American” and the “studies show that youth of color are treated more harshly than White youth even when arrested and prosecuted for the same offense.”
       • if the law stated that every individual no matter the gender or race shall be treated the same, why are they treated differently when they are arrested? African American youth and non African American youth are all young people that has convicted a crime, which shall be treated the same if the conviction is the same.
       • there shall be no superiority within a race which led to harshly treatment to another race.
     • Private counsel.
       • The difference in races may make an affect on being convicted.
         • “White youth are twice as likely to be represented by private counsel as African American youth.”
       • It is believed that youth that are “represented by a private attorneys were less likely to be convicted.”