Discrimination and disparity - Essay Example

Discrimination and DisparityDiscrimination refers to the act of treating someone in a less favorable way either because of some specific reasons or because of the race, gender, or class of that person. Discrimination injects a sense of dejectedness in a society and destroys the concept of equality. Disparity, on the other hand, refers to the differences that exist between different groups of people. As Rivera (2006) states, “Disparity is believed by many to be a product of discrimination and starts with the process of arrest all the way to the sentencing structures”.

In the criminal justice system of a country, discrimination is a serious issue. People having low social status usually face more trials as compared to the people having good financial status. This is a pure example of discrimination. On the other hand, a high figure of people of the same race held in a jail does not indicate that there is a high level of discrimination in the criminal justice system of that country. Rather it indicates the group differences that exist between every two groups living in a society.

This refers to group disparity.Discrimination is a problem for the criminal justice system because it injects the sense of class and race inequality in the minds of the citizens. Discrimination shatters the foundations of the criminal justice system of a country. Disparity, on the other hand, does not harm the criminal justice system. The reason is that disparity is based on the group differences. People belonging to one particular group are likely to do more crimes because of their way of living.

Therefore, we can say that disparity is not a big problem for there to be in the criminal justice system as compared to discrimination.ReferencesRivera, B. (2006). Disparity vs. Discrimination in the Justice System. Retrieved from http://voices.yahoo.com/disparity-vs-discrimination-justice-system-26733.html