Police Prejudice and Racism

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Recommended: Racial Discrimination in the Criminal Justice System

There are many instances where minorities are not given the chance to prosper in American society. The same system that promises all men equal opportunity has turned its back in the face of minorities. We plan to examine some segments of this system, namely the media and the criminal justice system, exposing injustices burdening minorities in America.

The media, in particular broadcasting news, has catered to stereotypes of non-whites by over-representing minorities as the assailants in violent crime. These types of practices are clearly detrimental to the advancement of those who have been handicapped by the ignorance of the past. In the first part of the paper we examine the effects of the rise of local news, charting specific studies geared toward presenting its damaging effects.

The second section of the paper is comprised of cases documenting apparent discriminatory treatment of minorities in the criminal justice system. Racial cues about crime that have been embedded into the minds of the public lead to unfair cynicism about suspects based on race. Practices such as police corruption aimed at minorities highlight this portion of the paper.

These are just a few of the ways that the America has cloaked the face of justice with the veil of race. Bias against minorities is apparent in all of America's systems and must be uncovered before any type of action can be taken. Though in some cases it is more easily discovered than others are, the first step is making these problems aware to the public.

THE RISE OF LOCAL NEWS AND ITS EFFECTS ON PERCEPTIONS OF RACE POLITICALLY AND SOCIALLY

In today’s realm of receiving information, it is almost evident that people learn about the larger world beyond their immediate experiences pri...

... middle of paper ...

... of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.

Hess, 5. 1991. Live From Capital Hill: Studies of Congress and the Media. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press.

Iycagar and R. Reeves eds., Do the Media Govern?, 1997 Oaks arid Sage Publications.

Iycugar, S. 1991. Is Anyone Responsible? How Television Frames Political Issues. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Iycugar, S., and D. R. Kinder. 1987. News that Matters: Television arid American Opinion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Klite, P., R. A. Bardwell, and I. Salzinan. 1997. "Local television news: getting away with murder," Press/Politics, 2, 102-12.

Krosnick, I. A., and L. A. Brannon. 1993. "The impact of the Gulf War on the ingredients of presidential evaluations: multidimensional effects of political involvement," American Political Science Review, 87, 963-75.

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