There are various issues with the way America is functioning today. Yes, the issues were there; hate and racial discrimination had been a part of the country for a long, but lately, the hate has grown. Go through all the hate crimes against the people of color in the country in the last decade or so. It will become clear that they have been going on consistently, but the number of such crimes has doubled and tripled in the previous few years. Another issue that has been consistent in the country is the rigged justice system to punish people of color more severely than the white folk. The BIPOC Community Members in the USA have been working on this for years and have recently found some much-needed traction.
What should the justice system be?
The justice system must treat every citizen within the country in the same manner. However, sadly that is not the case with America. There are numerous instances where for the same crime or even a far minor crime, a person of color or different ethnicity than Caucasian has been punished more. For a non-violent drug offense, a black person can get sentenced to 25 years in jail. A white person may get a couple of years in prison for the same crime and then a few months of community service. There are even cases where a white perpetrator has gotten off way easier than the victim who acted in self-defense.
How is the justice system working at present?
The whole system is biassed against people of color. When any African American or person from other colored ethnicity gets convicted for any crime, getting capable legal assistance is the first hurdle. There aren’t many lawyers or law firms ready to provide the service pro bono, at least for the first few weeks of the case. Then there is the problem of getting in front of a judge and what their affiliation is. If they are white sympathizers, then the case is doomed from the beginning. If they are not, then the chances of getting off with a lighter sentence are not high.
How a court case proceeds with a person of color involved?
Once the case begins in earnest, and both parties start arguing on behalf of their clients, things turn complicated. For a person of color, what they did in their kindergarten class is also considered to label them as criminal, immoral, and not suitable for living in society. Everything they have done in life, everything they have said, whether on record or off, can be taken into consideration if it helps with the conviction. In several instances, the case’s outcome gets decided even before a single session in the courtroom on the simple fact that one side of the argument has a person of color involved.
The blatant discrimination is there for everyone to see
If the perpetrator is white and a victim is a person of color, then the same crime which could have doomed the later person’s life forever is taken lightly. The age of the white person comes into play. If they are in their late teens or early twenties, the court is requested to consider the young age and reduce their sentence as much as possible. A person of color committing the same crime in the same age group does not get the same consideration. Hence, it is high time that clear and effective changes are introduced to the justice system in the country. Justice should be the same for everyone; the term should not remain a mockery in the cases of people of color.
