African American Treatment by the Police - Essay Example

African American Treatment by the Police Affiliation: Introduction The government, researchers, media, academicians, and policymakers describe the dilemma that diverse communities encounter, especially those that experience challenges from different forms of crime that occur in their neighborhoods. These communities tend to feel increasingly preyed on by criminals while being victimized by law enforcement officials. This cycle has great harm particularly among those communities that need considerable support by law enforcement officials. In this case, the individuals greatly victimized by crime deserve significant policing, although they feel reluctant to seek the support of the police since they distrust their efforts to protect them (Cole, Smith, & DeJong, 2014). Most African Americans, particularly those victimized by crime is a disproportionate manner, have little trust that the police would treat them in a fair manner. On the contrary, the population believes that law enforcement officials should treat all people equally regardless of their race, gender, or religious affiliation. This issue has attracted considerable attention, in different parts of the country based on the growing rates of victimization and exaggeration y the media in the United States (University of Texas, 2013). This paper will depict the issue of victimization of African American by law enforcement officials. It will also discuss how the media influences the perception of the public towards a criminal, and how media depiction of an incident affects individuals involved in a criminal activity. Discussion African American Victimization by the Police Researchers have revealed that a large number of black young men feel targeted by the police, particularly when driving or walking. In this case, they feel judged by stereotypes, which fuel resentment, hopelessness, and fear. Statistically, when targeting issues such as implementation of a drug policy, pulling individuals over, or implementing a death penalty, various racial disparities prevail. As such, just as most black Americans are influenced by crime in a disproportionate manner, the police equally scrutinize them unfairly (Fiducia Project, 2012). In 2010, for instance, African-Americans, representing 13% of the total population, accounted for about 55% gun homicides victims. These conflicting feelings have resulted to creation of incompatible policies. During the mid-1980s, a time when cocaine epidemic was dominant, tearing apart communities and families, and fueling murders, black lawmakers were on the forefront to facilitate in the establishment of laws that would help control the menace. This issue led to establishment of federal laws, which instituted harsher punishment for crack cocaine compared to powder cocaine (Cole, Smith, & DeJong, 2014). During this time, approximately half of the Congressional Black Caucus members voted for the passage of the bill while no one opposed it. Nonetheless, when it emerged that a large number of persons charged and sentenced under the anti-crack laws were African-Americans. As such, African American lawmakers stated taking steps to eliminate the disparity characterizing crack-powder cocaine (University of Texas, 2013). Based on the prevailing inequality with regard to treatment of black Americans by lawmakers in the United States, there should be recognition that every person wants safety. This does not mean that the black people want unsecure communities. All they need is a sense of fairness based on the manner in which the law is applied to them (Alexander, 2011). For instance, when crusaders marched in Ferguson demanding that Michael Brown, a teenager who was shot to death by the police, the mayhem went on in Baltimore. In the recent weeks, a number of teenagers aged about 17 years were killed back-to-back. In addition, after a day when a second teen was killed, a man aged 54 years was set on fire and later murdered in a fight in the city. This is a reflection of the growing incidences of African American victimization in America (Sugarmann, 2014). Based on the growing number of crimes in different cities across the United States, leaders are devising strategies to help slow violent crimes. This is particularly the case among black Americans, an issue that is subjecting them to discrimination compared to other racial groups in the country. Although law enforcement officers have managed to reduce a considerable number of crimes, they are still high and more effort is needed to eradicate them (Sugarmann, 2014). Nonetheless, most people, especially the blacks are losing a considerable number of males. The black community is losing a large number of its members every hour. In this case, if the American community fails to portray the same level of intolerance and anger as in the case of the police, then it raises the question that Americans have accepted the fate of black American treatment by the police (Alexander, 2011). Every individual in America should consider a number of shameful facts that dominate the society. The rate at which black Americans are murdered is four times higher than that of the national average. Furthermore, four out of every five homicides carried out on blacks are done with guns. Based on a report by the Violence Policy Center, the gun violence problem in the country imposes a disproportionate burden among the blacks. Since a large number of gun homicides are evident in schools, shopping malls, movie theatres, campuses, and homes, black Americans face the greatest challenge of being killed (Alexander, 2011). In 2011, the rate of homicide victimization among blacks was 17.51 for every 100,000 individuals. Countrywide, the overall rate of homicide victimization was 4.44 for every 100,000 individuals and 2.64 for every 100,000 people among white Americans. Even for those communities having higher rates of victim homicides among the blacks, the situation would be considered a national emergency, if it were evident outside the black American community. In this case, it is true that African Americans are victimized at a higher rate compared to the whites (Cole, Smith, & DeJong, 2014). Media’s Influence on Public Belief before going to Court The media has considerable impact on the society. For instance, radio, newspapers, television, and new media play a major role in helping to spread information as well as determine the kind of stories and topics people talk about (Dubois, 2012). Most of the crimes taking place in the modern society are accorded considerable media coverage, creating a challenge for prosecutors, defense attorneys, and defendants when trying a certain case. When deciding a particular case, juries should not exercise bias, regardless of the news coverage evident before a trial (Dowler, 2013). This is because the law enforcement officers participating in various criminal cases may be communicating with the media when providing information regarding a particular case. For example, the manner in which the media covers a trial or reveals certain information regarding a certain criminal, particularly television cameras availed in a courtroom may influence the behavior of jurors and witnesses considerably (Gates, 2012). In such a situation, an individual may be considered guilty even before the court has made its decision regarding the case of a given victim. According to the constitution’s Sixth Amendment, every jury should be impartial when trying a defendant. Nonetheless, due to the widespread coverage of crimes by the media, the jury selection process of high profile cases may be an extremely challenging task. This is because the jurors may develop some bias regarding a case based on exposure by the media. The impartiality that jurors portray is assessed during the selection process from a pool of prospective jury members. The prosecution and defense attorneys raise questions regarding the jury pool and the numerous issues evident, such as their potential to make nonbiased decisions, ensuring publicity of pretrial, or following the instructions of the judges (Dubois, 2012). Research shows that media exposure has a considerable influence on people because they are unaware of the biases present. Even in the case of potential jurors, especially those who stipulate that exposure to publicity does not make them biased may be prejudiced. In the case of those jurors who are incapable of eliminating bias in a given case or are unable to follow the instructions of a certain judge, they are eliminated for a reason. It is also possible for other jurors to be eliminated when lawyers strike, making it possible to eliminate certain jurors without sufficient reasons (Dowler, 2013). Capital cases attract extensive coverage that is emotionally charged. These cases pose additional challenges since death-qualified jurors are susceptible to publicity during the pre-trial process. For those jurors subject to a death-qualification process, they develop an understanding of the facts surrounding a highly publicized case. As such, they are more likely to think that a victim is guilty and that the penalty should be death. This is because death-qualified jurors have higher chances of watching daily news, allowing them to be more aware regarding a given case. They may also show pro-prosecution beliefs, which would make them remain inclined on proving that a defendant guilty (Fletcher, 2014). Researchers show that it is possible for judges to be susceptible to coverage by the media when making rulings of a given case. Coverage by the media influences the penal preferences of voters when criminal sentencing decisions are being made for certain violent crimes. In this case, when a case is accorded considerable coverage by the media, the elected judges tend to sentence in a more punitive manner as opposed to if the case is not highly publicized (Fletcher, 2014). No significant research has been carried out to determine the possible inspiration that the social media has in influencing the community’s belief that a victim is guilty or not. New media, such as Facebook, blogs, or Twitter make it possible for the public to share opinions and facts regarding court cases. These websites, in line with search engines such as Yahoo and Google provide further challenges for police officers, attorneys, defendants, and judges when determining whether a victim is guilty or not. Today, more people have more access to information than ever before (Dowler, 2013). As such, potential jurors lacking information from traditional media may be influenced by other people’s reactions on social media sites. The problems evident when publicizing criminal activities may be addressed in various ways. Regardless of the biasing effect of criminal cases’ publicity, the Supreme Court stipulates that courts do not have the mandate to refrain the press from publicizing valid information concerning a crime. This is because doing so violates the First Amendment that advocates for press’s freedom. Since it is not possible to prevent publicity of a certain crime, it is vital for courts to devise ways in which they can exercise fairness when a victim has been presented to the court for trial (Gates, 2012). For instance, the court may decide to postpone the proceedings of a given trial in order to create room where the influence of the case’s publicity disappears. Furthermore, the judge may give direct instructions by advising the jurors to refrain from considering the publicity of the case before the trial. Nonetheless, these approaches are not highly effective in preventing bias by the jurors, as it is difficult to note which jurors are biased in their decision making process (Fiducia Project, 2012). Various defense attorneys believe that victims may be harmed when their case is publicized. As such, they deem it necessary to change venue to a place far away from the scene of crime. Although the constitution of the United States guarantees that a trial be conducted at the scene of crime, the defendant may waive the right and change the venue before the trial takes place. Although this practice would contradict with local media coverage exposure, it has insignificant impact with regard to national coverage of the crime. In addition, it is not possible to guarantee a change of venue especially due to high costs involved in housing and transporting witnesses, attorneys, and court personnel. Furthermore, the judges may be hesitant when admitting that a defendant would only be accorded a fair trial in a different location, discrediting the legitimacy of the local community (Sugarmann, 2014). A large number of criminal incidences receive considerable attention than those that stand to generate profits from movies, television shows, or books. These kinds of opportunities result to conflicts of interest as they distort the potential of the major players to undertake the roles assigned to them. The possibilities of profit or fame influence the attorneys and the police officers participating in a certain case. In such a scenario, it is appropriate to publicize such a case to ensure that the appropriate measures are followed so that the defendant is accorded a fair trial free from any bias (Gates, 2012). In the case of Mary Hawkes, for instance, she made national headlines when accusations were levelled against her for having sexual intercourse with her students. The issue of having sexual intercourse with minors in the society attracts considerable interest of the media, activists, and the community. As such, many people prefer to get more details of the story and hence keep the story running in the media for a long time. In the event of black American’s for instance, this issue receives significant attention as most of them are subjected to various forms of victimization by the whites in the United States. In this case, it is true that publicizing the case of Mary Hawkes had a significant influence on the ways in which the community, defense attorneys, jurors, and judges perceived her case. Based on the duration that the incident was presented in the media, the viewers would consider her as guilty regardless of whether she was innocent. This kind of media publicity has considerable influence on the rulings that the judges and the public would make towards Hawkes’ case. Even if she were innocent of the crimes alleged against her, individuals who saw her case would not believe she is innocent. Moreover, when taken to court, after seeing the incident in the media, most of the judges would tend to side with the information presented in the media, as the media is known to give truthful information. As such, the judges would be biased and claim that Hawkes is guilty, even with insufficient presentation of evidence. Media’s Portrayal of an Incident affects Public Perception of the Victim The media is one of the major crime information sources for most members of the public. This is particularly because people do not currently interact the way they did in the past, leading to considerable social alienation. As such, most people are reliant on the media to provide them with updates regarding a certain crime at the local, regional, or national level. The public looks upon the state to address perceived dangers in the society. Nonetheless, whenever the state seems to be failing in addressing these matters in an efficient manner, then the members of the public look for new avenues, which promise them lasting solutions (Dubois, 2012). Presently, commercial pressures are the major forces that determine the manner in which the media treats violence and crime. Here, the resulting coverage by the media plays a significant part in shaping the opinion of the public towards crime individuals involved in the incident. News media not only serve as mirrors in the society, but also reflect the incidents taking place in the community. Today, media content is dominated by marketing and economic considerations, which override the newsworthiness of traditional journalistic practices (Dowler, 2013). The media often exaggerates both the extent and nature of crime, enlarging this problem’s size. In this case, the members of the public are left alarmed regarding the safety and order of the society. Since the public mostly consumers popular media as their source of information, it serves as an effective source of information to the public, especially if the information has considerable influence on political decisions (Fiducia Project, 2012). With the advent of present day media industry, the society has witnessed a rise in the number of crimes. For instance, the arrival and development of television, film, and presently computer technologies have played a significant role in intensifying the anxieties of the public. In addition, when the media is covering a trial or reporting a crime, it mostly lays significant emphasis on personal aspects by targeting the emotional experiences of the victim and ignoring expert commentary and objective statistical data (Cole, Smith, & DeJong, 2014). This practice boosts common perception towards crime, although it eliminates chances of informing opinion of the public effectively. Conclusion Based on the dominant issue of racial discrimination in the United States, African Americans are highly victimized, particularly when certain criminal activities are carried out around them. Most of them are not accorded fair trial in court, while others end up serving many years in prison. The media has played a major role in influencing the manner in which the public perceives criminal activities, especially those committed by African Americans. Based on the exaggerations of the media, the public, defense attorneys, judges, and jurors become convinced that victims are responsible for the crimes, regardless of whether sufficient evidence is available or not. As such, it is true that the media should focus on revealing to the public truthful information to ensure that the victims are accorded a fair trial free from bias. References Alexander, R. (2011). Racism, African Americans, and Social Justice. New York: Rowman & Littlefield. Cole, G., Smith, C., & DeJong, C. (2014). The American System of Criminal Justice. New York: Cengage Learning. Dowler, K. (2013). Media Consumption and Public Attitudes Toward Crime and Justice: The Relationship Between Fear of Crime, Punitive Attitudes, and Perceived Police Effectiveness. Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture, 10(2), 109-126. Dubois, J. (2012). Media Coverage of Organized Crime. Ottawa: Research and Evaluation Branch Community. Fiducia Project. (2012). The Media’s Influence on Criminal justice policy. Retrieved from http://www.fiduciaproject.eu/new/15/the-media-s-influence-on-criminal-justice-policy Fletcher, M. A. (2014). Mistrust of police is highest where law enforcement is most needed. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/09/29/mistrust-of-police-is-highest-where-law-enforcement-is-most-needed/ Gates, L. H. (2012). The Oxford Handbook of African American Citizenship. New York: Oxford University Press. Sugarmann, J. (2014). Murder Rate for Black Americans Is Four Times the National Average. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-sugarmann/murder-rate-for-black-ame_b_4702228.html University of Texas. (2013). Public perception of crime remains out of sync with reality, criminologist contends. Retrieved from http://www.utexas.edu/features/2008/11/10/crime/ Read More