If you came to a sociologist and asked them their definition of race, they would say that it refers to dividing the human species according to physical characteristics that are inherited. The most widely used human racial types are those based on visual traits for example the color of someone's skin. In the United States, it is common for others to profile individuals based on the color of their skin. Racial profiling is a big issue in society especially when it comes to law enforcement. It is a tactic that they have used since the 1960s during the civil rights movement. The thing about racial profiling is that there are so many components that stir it. The wealth status of an individual has a role in it. The biggest factor is the war on drugs, it is a drug campaign whose goal is to reduce the illegal drug trade that is happening in America. It was Coined on June 18th, 1971 by President Nixon, and ever since it has been unsuccessful. Because of the war on drugs, minority groups like blacks were being targeted for being heroin users. To this day they are still seen as drug users not just blacks but Hispanics too especially with the increased violence that is coming from cartel gangs.
When the war on drugs was first introduced during the Nixon administration it only consisted of small efforts from federal law enforcement. When Reagan came into office everything changed. He expanded many of Nixon’s policies. Reagan had a new focus on the drug war. It led to a massive increase in incarcerations for nonviolent drug crimes. The result of Reagan’s new focus started at 50,000 incarcerations and then led to 400,000 in 1992 (Brittanica). The justice system is known for being racially biased. If a Hispanic or black person was found guilty of just having a gram of marijuana or any illegal substance, they would have a higher chance of getting a long sentence compared to a white person. The United States is known as the number one incarcerator of human beings in the world, and we have about five percent of the world's population. Most of the prison populations are made up of minority groups. In this country, it is split up into two groups, rich and poor. If you were some regular person who lived in the projects and an officer pulled you over on the side of the road you would be sentenced to prison, there is no doubt about it. Now if that happened to some college student who had consumed an illegal substance at a party, they would be let off by a warning. If you were born in the lower class, you would automatically have a higher chance of getting arrested than an upper-class individual. Unfortunately, that is how the system works.
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Racial Profiling in Law Enforcement Essay.
(2024, January 18). Edubirdie. Retrieved December 22, 2024, from https://edubirdie.com/examples/racial-profiling-in-law-enforcement-essay/
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