Why Are Minority Juveniles Targeted?

“Legal order only sustained slavery, segregation and discrimination for most of our nations history. And the fact that police were bound to uphold that order set a pattern for police behavior and attitudes toward minority communities.” L. Kelling and M. Moore’s, The evolving strategy of policing.

The Justice system is influenced by biases and stereotypes that are often incorporated into police decision-making. Perceptions of minority crime, media images of minorities as criminals, and racial hoaxes contribute to stereotypes of young minorities and help to rationalize racial profiling. Racial profiling refers “to any action that results in the heightened racial scrutiny of minorities or not” according to Gabbidon and Greenes, Race and Crime.

Then why are minority juveniles targeted more often? This may be because law enforcement tends to work closely with communities that are more involved. It would seem that minority based communities seem to stray away from police because of past incidents or problems that they have encountered or witnessed. This is the case of Johannes Mehserle, a BART Police officer, who shot and killed African American Oscar Grant on the video above. This so called accident is currently under investigation and seems to be a case of excessive force on another minority. With scenarios like this, minorities tend to stray away in fear of the law. According to a 2006 crime survey, "55% to 64% of minorities believe they are not treated as fairly as whites by police." This may be because of direct and indirect contact with law enforcement.

When there are limited opportunities in communities, youth tend to engage in criminal conduct or violent activities to doing whatever to maintain their status in the streets. Minority youths tend not to fit into certain standers and establish their own values, which involve “activities and behaviors that are in conflict with society.” (Gabbidon and Greene) Juveniles see what happens and tend to stay away from police. With no trust towards Law enforcement they fear them instead. With youth minorities engaging in criminal activities and behaviors, Officers are forced to keep peace and enforce laws. Some Officers may enforce the law more vigorously than others, often targeting minorities because they do not conform into society. This may be because minorities are involved in crimes that increase likelihood of victimization by the police. This then leads to the overrepresentation of juvenile minorities in the Criminal Justice system.

Minorities Overrepresentation Hits all races

Minorities are gravely over-represented in every stage of the criminal justice process. When you think of a prisoner, what comes to mind? Most people will typically think of a male of a race other than Caucasian. This minority over-representation has been debated for many years. However, institutional racism in society seems to continue on and seems far too complex to find any sort of solution.

According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), “In 1997, minorities made up about one-third of the juvenile population nationwide but accounted for nearly two-thirds of the detained and committed population in secure juvenile facilities.” These are the numbers that illustrate the overrepresentation of minorities in the Criminal justice system. Also according to OJJDP, one out of every 21 African American men are in prison or jail. Nearly one third of African American men are in some aspect of the criminal justice system whether it be prison, jail, probation or parole. These statistics show that minorities are more likely to be referred to juvenile court, be detained, face trials as adults, and go to jail rather than white youth who commit comparable crimes. These alarming facts raise suspicion to whether or not the criminal justice system is bias towards race.

With the forever growing prison population, this overrepresentation of minorities affects the general masses as well. For minorities the Criminal Justice System seems not to address them as equals but rather natural criminals who do not deserve a fair shot at justice. It also affects the masses because it hits them not with racial disparity, but rather their bank accounts. According to United States prison facts, “The combined expenditures of local governments, state governments, and the federal government for law enforcement and corrections total over $200 billion annually”, meaning the funding for the Criminal Justice System is taken through our taxes. So, not only do minorities suffer, but the masses do as well. The overrepresentation of minorities in the Criminal Justice system is a problem in society that affects everyone and needs to be resolved quickly and efficiently.