Injustices in the Criminal Justice System

The criminal justice system of the US is fragmented. People of color, Latinos and African
Americans are dishonorably embattled by law enforcement personnel and are entitled to punitive
jail terms than white Americans. Considering the country’s impending demographic shift with no
clear ethnic or racial majority, America cannot afford continuity in these trends.
Many factors make Latinos and African Americans more vulnerable to entanglement in
the criminal justice system in the United States. Firstly, Latinos and African Americans are
overrepresented in America’s prison population (Esparza Flores, 2018). Secondly, the War on
Drugs has increasingly targeted people of color in the United States despite the similar rates of
selling and using drugs with their white counterparts (Esparza Flores, 2018). Lastly, African
Americans are more likely to be stopped and rummaged during traffic stops than their white
counterparts (Esparza Flores, 2018).
Ending mandatory sentences and providing adequate social services are among the most
effective approaches for addressing injustices in the criminal justice system (Stewart et al.,
2020). Mandatory sentences deliver consistent and fair punishment outcomes because they are
firmly founded on deterrence, retribution, denunciation, and incapacitation (Esparza Flores,
2018). However, it is only limited to particular offenses such as assault or murder, serious
violence, child sex offenses, and rape; hence not effective for other crimes. Social services
provided by social workers in the American criminal justice system are essential for promoting
the rights of people of color, improving the quality of their lives, and challenging ethnic and
racial inequalities (Stewart et al., 2020). Despite these benefits, social workers in America’s
criminal justice system encounter many challenges, such as assisting people manage their

3
emotional, social, and behavioral health problems and shouldering their clients’ disconcerting
and deep traumas.
Conclusively, Latinos and African Americans are vulnerable to entanglement in the US
criminal justice system because of overrepresentation in prison populations, increased War on
Drugs targeting this population, and their higher likelihood of being stopped and searched by law
enforcement personnel. The injustices in the criminal justice system can be addressed by
providing effective social services and ending mandatory sentences.

4

References

Esparza Flores, N. (2018). Contributing factors to mass incarceration and recidivism. Themis:
Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science, 6(1), 4.
https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1061&context=themis
Stewart, E. A., Warren, P. Y., Hughes, C., & Brunson, R. K. (2020). Race, ethnicity, and
criminal justice contact: Reflections for future research. Race and Justice, 10(2), 119-

149. https://criminology.fsu.edu/sites/g/files/upcbnu3076/files/2021-
     03/NEW_DIRECTIONS.pdf