Racial Profiling Research Paper

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Racial profiling has become one of the most controversial practices that are widely used knowingly or unknowingly in police departments, airport security systems and other government agencies across the world. We have seen many incidents where people have been arrested, detained, and even beaten because of their ethnicity.

In today’s world we live in a very media driven manner. The media often sways people’s attitudes towards a certain direction depending on the circumstances of the situation. Racial Profiling is a sensitive topic that almost every individual can relate to. While it may sometimes be used inappropriately, it can also be a good thing because it can help cut down on illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and may even help prevent …show more content…
Merriam-Webster’s definition for the word racial is “of, relating to, or based on a race (Merriam-Webster, 2006; p.855).” The dictionary defines profiling as “the act of suspecting or targeting a person solely on the basis of observed characteristics or behavior (Merriam-Webster, 2006; p.830).” Based on these definitions, racial profiling could be defined for criminal justice purposes as targeting a person based solely on the characteristic of race. It is a popular method used by law officers in order to hypothetically enhance crime prevention by targeting minorities, because they are more likely to commit a …show more content…
The extent to which racial stereotyping is used in identifying "suspicious" individuals is a key point of contention in the debate over profiling. (Rushing). Many people think of racial profiling as a relatively recent problem that began in the 1980s when news of African Americans being pulled over for "driving while black" began making the national headlines. However, the problem goes back centuries and is a fairly recent manifestation of discriminatory conduct by law enforcement and the criminal justice system that dates back to at least the 1700s in the United States for people of African
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