Yi Jun: Hello, Zoe. After six weeks of writing by Diary of Systemic Injustices, I believe that we all have a general understanding of the unfair treatment in our lives. I think what interests me is the ideal of “Judge people not by the color of their skin, but by their characters” put forward by Martin Luther King. But at that time, the realization of this ideal was undoubtedly difficult. Zoe, what kind of problem do you think racism is in today’s society?
Zoe Meyers: Racism and discrimination are two issues that have been around in our country for far too long and they can be applied into many different situations. Specifically, these issues can lead us into our criminal justice system as a whole. Our criminal justice system is made up of many different parts, these include, police forces, prosecution and defense lawyers, courts, prisons, and more. The criminal justice system is very vast which leaves no surprise that there have been many issues that come about because of it. With today’s technology and news coverage, these issues have been receiving much more attention than before.
Yi Jun: I think the criminal justice system is an organization that can cover many aspects and solve many problems. I am not an American, so I don’t know very well how this institution performs its obligations. My idea is that if we simply associate racism with the criminal justice system, it seems that we can’t start our discussion today. Because I think the criminal justice system is a place where justice can be done, just like Batman in Gotham. Do you think there are some problems in this system, and it has a necessary connection with racism and discrimination?
Zoe Meyers: If you were to ask me point blank if I felt that there were issues with our criminal justice system, no research, just what I have seen around on social media and the news, I would say yes and that it had to be based on racial differences. The research that I have done here today went on to prove that I was right but still left me shocked. I was very surprised to see how big the differences in numbers really were when focusing on race. I read a research paper that was called The Color of Justice, and was written by Senior Research Analyst Ashley Nellis, Ph.D., from the Sentencing Project. In this paper she went on to include five key finding through her research that I found so intriguing I must share. These five key findings state that,
- Black Americans are incarcerated in state prisons at nearly 5 times the rate of white Americans.
- Nationally, one in 81 Black adults in the U.S. is serving time in state prison. Wisconsin leads the nation in Black imprisonment rates; one of every 36 Black Wisconsinites in prison.
- In 12 states, more than half the prison population is Black: Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
- Seven states maintain a Black/white disparity larger than 9 to 1: California, Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Wisconsin.
- Latinx individuals are incarcerated in state prisons at a rate that is 1.3 times the incarceration rate of whites. Ethnic disparities are highest in Massachusetts, which reports an ethnic differential of 4:1:1.
Yi Jun: It seems that this is even worse than the legal situation in Gotham. I think the main thing you want to compare is the ratio of whites to blacks in prisons. I think if we can prove that the criminal justice system tends to arrest prisoners, it will undoubtedly prove the plight faced by African Americans. In their lives, if they encounter some verbal insults or behavioral prejudice, it will not change their lives. Because they only meet other citizens, not authorities, which means they won’t be put in jail or arrested. I think the most famous example is George Floyd, who finally died in the hospital. This makes me think more, because law enforcement agencies don’t even need to convict African Americans tendentiously. Violent law enforcement is enough to change their lives. Zoe, what do you feel from these data? Do you think the probability is normal?
Zoe Meyers: These are huge numbers that left me fairly surprised. In the general population of the U.S. white Americans make up for most of it compared to those of other races. The racial differences here are significant, and these facts prove that these issues span across the United States. With all of this being said, the numbers just don’t seem to add up. If there is more white Americans in the general population compared to African Americans and Latino Americans, than how are their statistics so much higher? This is where that issues of racism and discrimination come into play. These prison numbers lead me to believe that those of races other than white are far more likely to be convicted and receive jail time.
Yi Jun: I think your guess is very reasonable because these data are so different. And there are many States in this analysis report, which means that this problem is a national problem. I think your inference about “those of races other than white are far more likely to be convoked and receive Japanese time” is very serious. It seems to me that Batman only catches prisoners with cracked mouths. Of course, as a student in Ohio, we should pay more attention to the governance of this state. Because the situation here is directly related to our own interests. Zoe, as a local student, do you know more about this?
Zoe Meyers: We are all students that attend The Ohio State University. Which makes all of us affiliated with Columbus whether we just attend school here or live here full time. For one of my diaries posts I read an article from the Washington Post that was titled, There’s overwhelming evidence that the criminal justice system is racist. Here’s the Proof. This article really stood out in my mind because it included information about Columbus, Ohio. It stated that, “A 2019 study of the Columbus, Ohio, police department found that while African American people make up about 28 percent of the city’s population, about half of the use-of-force incidents were against black residents.” While I am sure that there is more to the story with all these incidents, whether they were black or white, that is a fairly large percentage considering that the African American population is so low compared to the white Americans living here. This statistic does not have to do with incarceration or prison rates like the other ones we discussed earlier, but it has to do with the police force part of our criminal justice system.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/
Yi Jun: I think the article you provided has clearly explained the situation of Columbus. I changed my mind. I think it’s more likely that the police are more willing to bring those black people with problems to the police station, just as the police are more willing to make trouble for African Americans. I am willing to believe that the court will not make an unfair ruling, and it is necessary to provide relevant evidence to make a guilty verdict. We may have enlarged the problem, because it seems a bit too idealistic to equate racism with an institution casually. It’s like the criminal justice system is promoting racism. We should attribute the problem to individuals, such as the white policeman who pressed George Floyd’s neck. This makes me reflect on what kind of role the police play in society, what do you think?
Zoe Meyers: Police play a big part in our criminal justice system. Just about every city has a police force. They are supposed to enforce the laws and make the people they serve for feel safe. Though there have been many cases where race and discrimination can come into play in interactions between people and the police. Police officers are just everyday people, they all grow up with different backgrounds and different ways of thinking. They are supposed to be neutral when it comes to race but that is not always the case. It can be hard to let certain biases go.
Yi Jun: I think what you said is reasonable. Even policeman make mistakes. Justice of criminal justice system is an important step to eliminate racism. Only when the personal safety of ethnic minorities is guaranteed can they fight for more rights for themselves. When law enforcement agencies are biased, they can’t get any help at all. In today’s society, media public opinion has become a method for them to protect themselves. Of course, the reason for the large number of black prisoners may also be that their education rate is relatively low. I believe that knowledge can change one’s viewpoint and thinking. Zoe and I only discussed the broad issue of racial discrimination from a narrow perspective today. Hope everyone can contribute to eliminating racism and discrimination. That’s all. Thanks you!