Racial Bias In The Criminal Justice System

In the United States Criminal Justice System, the harshest punishment an offender can receive is a capital punishment, also known as the death penalty. But should it even be a punishment? Or is it not harsh enough for the offender? When looking at notorious death penalty cases such as Ted Bundy, Timothy McVeigh, and more recently Nicolas Cruz, it can be difficult to understand the complexity of the sentencing process that will decide whether an offender lives or dies. The history surrounding the death penalty is lengthy, but its true rise to fame occurred in 1972 with the Furman v. Georgia Supreme Court case. Through the Supreme Court, it was found that the execution of prisoners who committed a capital crime (e.g., murder, treason, espionage) …show more content…
As for the critics of the death penalty, one major proponent is that it can lead to racial bias. It is evident throughout history that the American Criminal Justice System is biased based on race. As a result, more minority offenders are sentenced to death than Caucasian offenders. Furthermore, the author of The Furman Filtration Problem: Why the Death Penalty Will Always Be a Cruel and Unusual Punishment specifically mentioned the thirteen executions performed in the last six months of former President Trumps administration. Of the thirteen inmates, six of them were African American males (Goetting, 2022). Moreover, this leads to the illusion that the basis of deciding who receives a capital punishment is, in part, on race. Additionally, critics of the death penalty believe it should be abolished because there is a possibility of error in the sentencing process. There have been many occurrences where individuals have been wrongfully convicted and a few of them have been sentenced to death. Research by Attorney Samuel Gross supports that claim because he found through research “that 1 in 25 death row inmates are innocent” (Siegel & Worrall, …show more content…
I believe there is a racial bias issue in the United States Criminal Justice System that results in more minorities getting arrested, charged, sentenced, and in states with the death penalty, executed. The prejudice that is dispersed through the system needs to be addressed, and that could start with abolishing the death penalty. In addition, it is rational that critics do not want the death penalty as they consider it to be a form of torture that is cruel and unusual. We specifically state in the Constitution that cruel and unusual punishments are forbidden and so, the government needs to ensure they are adhering to the laws of the land. However, the definition of cruel and unusual punishments is subjective and consequently, the debate surrounding the death penalty was created. Despite my ability to acknowledge both sides of the discussion, I believe that the death penalty should be abolished. Not only do I agree with the critics reasoning, but I also believe the death penalty is hypocritical. Most death penalty cases tend to be murder and so, the government is killing the offender just as they did to the

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