Criminal justice refers to the system of practices and institutions of governments upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts. The US criminal justice system is severely flawed and requires immediate reformation in many areas of implementation including policing, sentencing, and incarceration.
The United States holds more people behind bars than any other country in the world. Currently, 2.3 million people in the United States are incarcerated, or 25% of the total incarcerated population worldwide, despite the fact that only 5% of the global population lives in the U.S. This number is a 500% increase in the past 30 years, and nearly ⅓ of the American adult population has a criminal history record of some kind. A majority of Americans believe the criminal justice system is broken and requires significant systemic reforms, including 69% of Americans who say that is important for the US to reduce its prison populations and 77% who support eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for all kinds of offenses.
More than 1000 people are killed by the police every year, more than in any other country, and nearly 60% of victims were unarmed or were not involved in activities that did not require violent police intervention. Incarceration has also proven to be extremely expensive, costing American taxpayers $80 billion annually and rising. Furthermore, extensive data has revealed substantial evidence of racial profiling and bias present in policing tactics. In response, strong bipartisan concern has erupted about the progressively worsening problems of "over-criminalization" and "over-incarceration" in the United States.
Minority Bias
The criminal justice system has a devastatingly disproportionate effect on disadvantaged and minority communities. More than 60% of the prison population are racial and ethnic minorities. African Americans constitute 1 million of the 2.3 million incarcerated (43%), but are only 12% of the US population, and they are 4-5 more times likely to be incarcerated than White Americans. Although 5 times as many White Americans use illicit drugs as African Americans, African Americans are 10 times more likely to be sent to prison than whites for drug offenses. The average length of a prison sentence for an African American committing drug offense (59 mos.) is virtually the same as average length of prison sentence for a White American committing a violent offense (62 mos.). Blacks and Hispanics are 50% more likely to experience physical interactions and altercations with the police including including touching, pushing, handcuffing, drawing a weapon, and using a baton or pepper spray.
Relevance and Impact:
It is important to note that 70% of American Muslims are racial and ethnic minorities and 30-36% are Black or Hispanic. The need to reform criminal justice practices in the United States could not be any more pressing or relevant.
Incarceration creates life-threatening barriers in access to housing, employment, healthcare, and privileges of citizenship including voting. Lack of access to basic services and necessities throws those who have been incarcerated into poverty, chronic illness, unemployment, homelessness, and social isolation. Re-entry into society becomes an insurmountable challenge and prison recidivism ensues. Incarceration does not provide the rehabilitation and treatment services that many prisoners need and can be an ineffective deterrent to future criminal behavior. Hyper-incarceration and hyper-criminalization in disproportionately affected and disadvantaged communities destroys communities and families and heavily ignores addressing social and economic stressors which contribute to crime and create fertile environmental conditions for crime to occur and communities to deteriorate.
Support and fund alternatives to incarceration including providing access to rehabilitation and treatment through after-school programs, drug treatment programs, mental health centers
Ease mandatory minimums for minor and nonviolent offenses​​
Ease restrictions on voting rights for individuals with criminal history records
Reform law enforcement and policing tactics
End broken windows policing and require officers to be rigorously trained on implicit racial bias, procedural justice, and relationship based policing
Limit use of police force, require use of body cameras, and establish effective civilian oversight structures
Increase hiring police officers who reflect or are from the communities they serve
End supply of federal military weaponry to local police departments
​Reallocate taxpayer money from funding the prison system to Investing in disadvantaged communities that have been ravaged by social neglect, economic blight, and incarceration through:
Access to affordable housing, education, healthcare, employment and training service.
​Improved infrastructure, transit systems, housing, and opportunities for entrepreneurship
Progress has been made and must continue to be made at the federal, state, and local levels​