Does Racial Discrimination Truly Exist Within The Criminal Justice System

Latinos and Blacks are more likely to be sentenced as Habitual Offenders in counties where they are the minority ethnic group. An example would be if Latinos are the minority in a The black community then would more than likely be sentenced as a habitual offender due to racism and the growing population in the area. The reverse would happen if Blacks were the minority in a predominately Latino area [Car11]. In 2008, approximately 60 percent of the prison population was Hispanic and African American. African-American males are six times more likely to be incarcerated than non-Hispanic White males. Before some Black males reach 40 years of age, they will have been to jail or prison at least during their early years. Hispanic males are imprisoned at about 2.5 times the rate of non-Hispanic Whites. Racial and ethnic disparities among women are less substantial than among men but remain prevalent [Dis08]. Studies have shown that whenever the victim is white, the black defendant will be executed. This has been the case with interracial murders for over four decades. The ethnic background of the murder and victim played a role in the sentencing for 82 percent of the cases [Fla13]