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Gender, race and crime all three coincide with institutionalized discrimination. As a student at the University of Massachusetts, majoring in criminal justice the facts regarding discrimination inside of the justice system is alarming. This semester has been an eye opening experience of how these disparities are in plain view within correction facilities in America. Professor Estienne class Gender, Race and Crime section 201 at the University of Massachusetts of Lowell, describes five elements of discrimination that may be present in the American justice system. Pure justice Individual Acts of Discrimination, contextual discrimination, institutionalized discrimination and lastly systematic discrimination (Estienne, 2014). This paper will focus on the institutional discrimination within the correctional facilities in the United States, however the five elements stated by Professor Estienne may intertwine with each other.
One major discrimination within institutions nationwide is the overrepresentation of young African Americans males. This over depiction of black males is clearly stated in the National statistics on prison admissions and prison population surveys. In these same surveys is clearly shows that black males who murder a white male are more likely to server a longer prison sentence, than a black male murdering a another black male. This is very disturbing for many reasons, first it states that a life of a white male is a far more significant than a black male. The crime of murder is a vial act and should be judged and convicted solely on the deed, not on the skin color of the victim. This devilish discrimination puts a higher value on Caucasians and diminishes the value of life of African Americans (Estienne,...

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...the introduction pure justice discrimination plays a factor in the institutional process by unfairly violating the due process of minorities in the criminal justice system.

When a criminal violates the law he/she should be judged and convicted of a crime, however the punishment should not outweigh the crime. When prison systems are flourishing with the overrepresentation of minorities something is wrong. Due process of law is not bring upheld. There are a variety of reasons this is happing, one for instance is that minorities have a lower income than Caucasians and cannot afford a decent attorney. Also that minorities live in urban areas that do not have adequate social mobility, so crime is an avenue to achieve wealth. Whatever the circumstance maybe the unfair overrepresentation of minorities in American justice system is unjust, and unconstitutional.