Racial Profiling within America’s Criminal Justice System Essay Example for Free

Racial Profiling within America’s Criminal Justice System Essay The criminal justice system of America is deeply scarred with racial bias. Crimes are being committed and, in turn, are resulting with innocent people doing hard-time. Thankfully, newfound methods of appealing court rulings are finding justice for these minorities; however, the results are as shocking as the crimes being committed. When it was found that the majority of successful appeals were of minorities, the true defects of the system was apparent. The minority community is being critically judged for things they’re not doing. Throughout the last decade lawmakers have be aiding the racial profiling scene. Arizona legislature passed a law allowing for an officer to demand papers of any person that proved their legal citizenship. The law, intending to lower the illegal immigrants in Arizona, became a symbol for racial profiling within our government. President Obama strongly opposed the passing of the law saying that it threatened â€Å"to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and our communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe† (Archibold). It is a very rare occasion where the President speaks out about state legislature, proving the enormity of the law and its regards to human rights in America. The law, dubbed the â€Å"Show Me Your Papers† law, has Arizona residents furious. Faulting someone of being illegal, purely based on their appearance is a very subjective issue. Someone with a last name of Garcia or Rodriquez is much more likely to be suspected of being in the country illegally rather than someone with the last name of Smith. Because Smith has a very typically â€Å"American† last name, he, most likely, wouldn’t be asked to prove citizenship. This is a perfect example of the kind of profiling that Arizonians are concerned about. Not only have lawmakers been creating laws supporting racial profiling, but laws such as the â€Å"Stand your Ground† law in Florida are allowing for racial profiling to occur under a pseudonym. The â€Å"Stand your Ground† law allows for someone to use deadly force, if needed, in order to protect themselves from harm’s way. The recent slayings of teenagers Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis, two African American teenagers, have so far been defended under the law, bringing uproar to the stateespecially among the black community. Even worse, it’s considered legal. Families and friends of these children defend them as being upstanding citizens killed due to their race. Although Martin and Davis have not been the only people murdered under the law, they are the ones bring publicity to it. Due to the media attention, the policy’s effect on different racial groups is finally being questioned. John Roman, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center, conducted a study intending to measure the racial bias within the policy. Roman focused his study on killings that were considered justified within the eyes of the court: the murder of people that just committed a felony. â€Å"Roman found that the killings of black people by whites were more likely to be considered justified than the killings of white people by blacks†¦. In non-Stand Your Ground states, whites are 250 percent more likely to be found justified in killing a black person than a white person who kills another white person; in Stand Your Ground states, that number jumps to 354 percent.† (Childress). Roman’s findings show that even laws that weren’t aimed to become a racial issue are. The issue, however, is that it’s not being stopped despite the blatantly obvious ramifications. Some might argue that people of color are being convicted for more crimes than other races because they’re the ones committing more crimes. A valid point, however, with the recent advancement of these races throughout society, it would be thought that these numbers would be heading in opposite directions. In reality, minorities are being served harsher consequences than their white counterparts despite their equal standing in society. Michigan State University (MSU) conducted a study revealing that there was often racial bias when selecting a jury—especially those involving minority parties. The study conducted by MSU examined jury selection as well as the decisions made by said juries. â€Å"The MSU study of capital charging and sentencing found that those who kill whites are more likely to get the death penalty than those who kill blacks. The MSU study found that a defendant is 2.6 times more likely to get the death penalty if the victim is white.† (ACLU). Following the study, North Carolina passed a law entitled the â€Å"Racial Justice Act†. This piece of legislature made it possible for inmates to appeal their sentences due to supposed racial profiling. Since the passing of the law last year, there have been 4 successful appeals. The law doesn’t guarantee that the whole sentence will be reversed; however, it puts in place a system that allows for flaws in the length/severity of the sentence to be readdressed. The passing of the law as well as the MSU study prove that although there are more minorities being charged for crimes, the charges are of ill-willed intentions. In addition to undeserved charges, DNA testing has exonerated hundreds of people for crimes in which they were convicted over the past few years. When DNA testing became readily available to the criminal justice system, crucial flaws began to surface. It was realized that people were serving hard-time for felony crimes they didn’t commit. University of Virginia Law professor, Brandon Garrett, studied the first 200 people exonerated through said DNA testing. He compared the demographics of the exonerees concluding that â€Å"[Of] the innocent group, all male save one†¦71 percent were minorities. The vast majority of exonerated rape convicts (73 percent) were black or Hispanic, while studies show only about 37 percent of rape convicts are minorities.† (Wood). These hundreds of people are provide valid evidence supporting that, although people of color are being convicted of more crimes, they are also being cleared of said crimes. Racial ethnicity plays a large factor when it comes to being convicted of a crime. Oftentimes, a person of color is automatically assumed to be more likely of committing a crime than a Caucasian person. People of minority races are being targeted as criminals purely based on their looks rather than their guilt. Laws have been passed both for and against said issue, providing for a government that is facilitating racism. Racial profiling isn’t an act that would be thought of as happening in the 21st century, following the Civil Rights movement of the mid 1900’s. Despite the advancements in society, America’s criminal justice system hasn’t quite advanced so far. Works Cited Archibold, Randal. â€Å"Arizona Enacts Stringent Law on Immigration† NYtimes.com April 23, 2012. Web. New York Times January 30, 2013. Childress, Sarah. â€Å"Is There Racial Bias in ‘Stand your Ground’ Law?† PBS.org, July 31, 2012. Web. UNC-TV January 30, 2013 ACLU. â€Å"North Carolina Racial Justice Act† ACLU.org, December 17, 2012. Web. American Civil Liberties Union January 30, 2013 Wood, Mary. â€Å"Study of First 200 DNA Exonerations Shows Flawed Criminal System† law.virginia.edu, July 23, 2007. Web. University of Virginia February 2, 2013

Philosophy of Teaching Statement :: Educating Education Essays Teacher

Philosophy of Teaching Statement As a freshman in college, I was faced with one of the most important decisions of my life. I had to decide where I wanted my college education to go and what I wanted to become as an adult. My whole freshman year, I struggled to make a decision. My family encouraged me to major in business, because even if I didn’t like my job they felt that I could make a lot of money and have financial security. They didn’t feel like education was the right career for me. I felt like it was important for me to have a career that was emotionally fulfilling to me rather than having a career that I would make a lot of money. I have always enjoyed math; I took many extra math classes while I was in high school. I also wanted to become a teacher. Finally in the last few months of the year I came to a decision; I decided I wanted to become a math teacher and teach eighth grade math. So, I decided to pursue a degree in math and general science (5-9) Education. It was a hu ge relief to me when I finally decided to become a teacher; I feel very happy with the decision I have made. I want to make a positive difference in kids’ lives and I feel this is the best way for me to do that. No two students are alike so, you have to respond accordingly. Some students come to school to learn and make a life for themselves. Other students only come to school because it is a requirement. Teachers cannot expect to have only students who want to be in school. Teachers must use different teaching methods in order to make sure that all the students learn the material, which is where teaching philosophies come into play. In our education classes we are asked to think about the types of educational philosophies we will use in our classrooms to teach. My views on education philosophies are eclectic. I agree with essentialism, progressivism, and behaviorism. The core of a teacher is his or her beliefs and philosophies.

Pussy Riot

This group has approximately 11 members, with women ranging from age 20 to 33. This group's activities include staging unauthorized provocative performances in public places and then video taping them to post on the internet. These women protest with lyrical songs consisting of topics on feminism, LIGHT rights, opposition to the policies of the Russian President Vladimir Putting. They also make inks between Putting and the Russian Orthodox Church.Puss Riot is already a controversial group because they perform in Inappropriate places, but one specific performance at Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior threw these women overboard. Their actions were immediately stopped by church security guards and two of the group members were arrested and charged with â€Å"hooliganism motivated by religious hatred. † They were each sentenced to two years in prison. The trial for this case became exhausting and complicated very fast and retests were being held all over the world after the gr oup's sentence was announced.What is interesting about this documentary Is that, although this group Is a subculture and they are definitely going against many social norms by performing provocative unpleasant to hear songs about their beliefs, many people actually like and support them. However, others may consider this a disgusting act of pure deviance. Although this group of women may look more like a counterculture than a subculture, considering their appearance and vulgarity, they actually do not fall ender this category because they are not trying to hurt anyone.As said In the documentary, these women are nice people who Just want to express their beliefs. We all have beliefs and we all probably express them from time to time, but these women Just decided to express them In more of an Inappropriate, blunt, and passionate way that goes against the social norm. This still means that these women were deviant. They were deviant In the fact that they were going against the norm as well as In the fact that they were arrested and charged with hooliganism.

Compare and Contrast Science Fiction Short Story Unit

Many science fiction stories contain similar themes and ideas, but only two really caught my attention. As I read these stories I couldn’t help but notice the different themes that make them appealing. Although they both have different themes, characters and scenarios, they both seem to stay true to the make believe factor. Themes like vengeance, justice, love, pride, and honor seem to appear in these short stories. For me, justification seems to also be present, one justifies on the good for mankind and the other justifies vengeance. The short story Valhalla written by Gregory Benford, opens a passage to what if. In this science fiction story we have a man that looks just like Adolf Hitler. He materialized right when†¦show more content†¦At the end of the story Hitler’s wife Eva realized what was going and although she loved her husband, she knew there was no better option. Also in the story Valhalla metaphors are also present. When Hitler finally gave in an d started towards the blue corona the narrator describes â€Å"Hitler was partway through it now, moving in slow motion like a swimmer in deep water, as the tangled timelines wrapped around him, sucking him forward.†(pg 415, 102) This man’s desire for justice became apparent when he started to â€Å"savor† the image of Hitler turning, spinning in the crackling blue aura. He was so eager to pull the trigger and slip to the portal, he was so eager to hear Hitler scream. I think that the message that the author is trying to convey in this story is that justice is for all, unfortunately in this case it was science fiction. Wouldn’t it be nice to punish Hitler with a life of torture, a life he intently imposed on so many innocent lives? In Scanner’s Live In Vain, Martel, the protagonist lives with his wife. This brings me to my next theme love. As I read the story I couldn’t help feeling sorry for Martel. I could see that the author was trying to reach out to reader by creating such a character that loves and yet he isn’t capable of demonstrating it to his loved one. 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