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https://studentshare.org/sociology/1581311-thought-response-reaction-paper.
Race and Justice Talking Task: Race and Justice Talking In the recent past, the rate of juvenile offenders in the United s has been on an upward trend. Various youths (both blacks and whites) have participated in numerous criminal activities that include assault, robbery and even drug peddling. As a result, the American judicial systems have intervened, in a bid to control the vice. However, most of US judicial systems have racial bias when dealing with cases regarding youth crimes. Moreover, there have been several reported cases, where both white and black students have committed crimes and taken to court for prosecution.
During prosecution, various prosecutors have used their influence to acquit the white offenders, while taking stern action on their black counterparts. In her radio talk show, Margot Adler interviews various law experts and enforcers, while focusing on the loopholes in the judicial system’s treatment of black and white offenders (Justice talking, 2007). In the talk show, it is evident that most prosecutors have wrongly indicted black youths, leading to demonstrations. The law enforcers have had a misconception that associates the black communities with crime.
They argue that the black minorities are the biggest culprits when it comes to criminal activities in most societies, ant they thereby treat them with the mentality that they are criminals. In my view, judicial should not use race as the predetermining factor when prosecuting criminals, since both blacks and whites involve in crime. The prosecutors have used their power to accuse innocent black youths, an act that has made the civil and other activists raise eyebrows, in a bid to force the policymakers to intervene (Justice talking, 2007).
The interview indicates that many prosecutors have gone unpunished for the unconstitutional crimes they perpetrated to innocent black youths because of racial discrimination. As a result, the interviewee argues that several cases against the corrupt are pending, concerning powerful prosecutors that the judiciary needs to investigate, and thereby take legal action against them. I strongly agree to this suggestion, since it will reduce cases of unconstitutional arrests and incarcerations of black youths.
In the talk show, it is evident that black students experience racial discrimination right from the school settings (Justice talking, 2007). This results from the fact that some schools have incorporated less skilled teachers in the schools. The said teachers do not have the training necessary in dealing with students from various backgrounds. As a result, they have a perception that black students naturally have unruly behaviors. In my view, this perception is erroneous and may be the cause of heightening juvenile crimes in the schools.
Teachers need to learn to handle students from all ethnic backgrounds without prejudice. In my daily operation, I encountered a group of five boys (three black and two whites) who the law enforcers detained for allegedly stealing movie players from a local supermarket. Since I knew two of them, I acquired an interest in knowing their fate. After various legal transactions, the authorities acquitted the two white boys on claims that they were underage. On more investigations, I realized that the other two black boys had just turned 18, while the third was barely 17.
After the intervention of a lawyer, they also acquitted the other three. However, though the legal systems acquitted the three boys, this was an indication of racial loopholes in the judicial system. The episode has succinctly exposed the loopholes in the judicial systems, in regarding racial bias towards the youth (Justice talking, 2007). Moreover, the interview gives vivid examples of racial prejudice at play and its ominous consequences. Additionally, the interview has given remedy to racial bias, which includes training of teachers in handling students from different races and persecuting corrupt prosecutors.
Moreover, in the interview, cases of racial discrimination are rampant. However, with the training of teachers and persecution of racially discriminative prosecutors, this predicament will drastically reduce. ReferenceJustice talking. (2007). Race and the justice system. Pennsylvania, PA: NPR.
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