CRIMINAL JUSTICE ESSAY

Criminal Justice Essay

Criminal Justice Essay

According to the 2000 census provides an opportunity to look at racial disparities in our local criminal justice system. The population in Onondaga County fell by 2.3% since 1990. The population of Onondaga County is now 458?336. Of this population? 9.4% are African Americans. Although African Americans represent a relatively small proportion of the total county population? they account for a disproportionately high percentage of those arrested and sentenced to prison and jail. Much has been said and written about racial profiling and selective approach and compliance by the police. The police practice of racial make up only part of the imbalance in the criminal justice system. (Blumstein 1993)

In 1999? while African Americans make up only 9.4% of the population of Onondaga County? African Americans represent 41% of all those arrested. In the same year? whites represented 55% of those arrested? but they accounted for 84.8% of the population of the county. It is clear that the imbalance begins with the arrest policy. Nevertheless? the disparate treatment by the criminal justice system does not stop there.

Overview of the racial composition of the Council of Onondaga County Correctional Facility (OCCF)? where a man and a woman arrested in Onondaga County were sentenced to up to one year in prison? suggests that racial disparity is beyond the gap caused by the arrest policy. In 1999 1516 people were sentenced to imprisonment for a term to serve in the OCCF. In the county? only 9.4% of African Americans? and in which 41% of those arrested were African-Americans? African Americans? we eventually make up 52.2% of those admitted to prison OCCF in 1999. Of the adults who had been sentenced to jail in Onondaga County in 1999? African Americans accounted for 56%. The disproportion is even higher when we ...