Posted: December 30th, 2021

Systemic Racism and Its Impact on the Juvenile Justice System

Systemic Racism and Its Impact on the Juvenile Justice System
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Introduction
The imbalance in the country’s juvenile justice system is currently not a secret that is known by the communities of colour. The painful reality is that members of the minority groups have to grapple with the profound ethnic and racial disparities within the juvenile system that justice for these groups is not similar to that of the majority youth. The American society has created stereotypes that have been ingrained into the psyche of human beings which come to play even in situations where impartiality is mandatory. For instance when a black male child comes before a white judge that has no experience listening to cases involving young black males, and the black male youth comes in with baggy pants, tattooed, having an attitude; the judge can create a mindset of his own which is that the former is guilty of the charges brought forth (Cordell, 2014). Systemic racism is real within the juvenile justice system, and it is the affected minority groups that have to deal with its adverse effects.
The Reality and Impact of Systemic Racism in the Juvenile Justice System
The ideological principle in the justice system is the administration of justice in all cases. Arguably, in the juvenile justice system, this justice should be a focus on rehabilitation rather than punishment to positively influence the life of the young individual (Robles-Ramamurthy & Watson, 2019). However, research has demonstrated the existence of racial disparity in how minority youth are treated in the juvenile justice system. Black juveniles have always been detained and confined at more excellent rates compared to the majority of youth. The black youth are more likely to be taken to correctional facilities compared to the wild youth despite them engaging in similar crimes. The white majority of youth are more likely to be taken to psychiatric hospitals. Scholars have indicated that there is an overrepresentation of minority youth within the juvenile justice system. The extensive researchers indicate that the juvenile justice system is undoubtedly dealing with systemic racism that comes with its adverse effects.
The first impact of systemic racism in the juvenile justice system is that it has created an institution that perpetuates and preserves inequality within the American community (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2018). When more minority group members are increasingly taken to correctional facilities without better strategies of rehabilitation, their respective communities are forced to continue living in low living standards with no potential for upward economic mobility. The young individuals are already limited in terms of dialogue and encounter with others from diverse backgrounds, experience and opinions. It becomes difficult for them to view their world from a different perspective of opportunity and growth. Therefore the community continues to be divisive in economic growth and opportunities disfavoring the minority communities.
The systemic racism has created poor public perception towards the justice system among the minority communities since the latter believe that the system does not work for them. These negative perceptions have limited the chance of beneficial interactions between the communities and the justice system. It becomes difficult for the latter to understand the better strategies that could see a reduction in minority communities going through the system. Collaboration is an essential element of community policing which has proven to reduce crime rates in areas that have incorporated the strategy. However, its absence means that minority groups continue to engage in crime, yet there are better ways to handle them.
Conclusion
Extensive research has proven that systemic racism within the juvenile justice system is an actual reality that subsequently causes its adverse effects. Notably, the significant impact is that juveniles within the minority community groups continue to face discrimination in terms of policies, sentencing, rehabilitation strategies, among other aspects.
References
Cordell, L. (2014). From both sides of the bench – Is the system race biased? | Juvenile justice | Frontline | PBS. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/juvenile/bench/race.html
Robles-Ramamurthy, B., & Watson, C. (2019). Examining Racial Disparities in Juvenile Justice. The journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 47(1), 48-52.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2018). What is Systemic Racism? Retrieved from https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/racism/upload/racism-and-systemic-racism.pdf

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