True Life: Racism in the Criminal Justice System

This video I found on YouTube in the format of a popular MTV television show True Life.  It is titled True Life Racism in the Justice System.  The reporter analyzing the information is Marjie T. Britz.  Britz tells viewers that there are different aspects that allow for discrimination to grow within the criminal justice system. She mentions race, gender, socioeconomic status, and previous offenses as being factors for determining sentencing.  With this in mind it is not as superficial as saying blacks are treated differently than whites.  However, the system favors whites more highly than black people. For example, because the majority of black people have a low income they are unable to provide an adequate lawyer which is most likely going to be a white male.  This confirms the white race is educated and is of higher power while the black is not. In addition, the judge will most often be a conservative white male which creates opportunity for discrimination. Considering this, the dynamic of the races will more often than not remain the same.

More often then not the harsher sentences for minorities are unexplained.  The video gives the example of Tyrone Brown who received a life sentencing for merely violating parole with drug possession.  Though he was pardoned by the Texas judge Brown lost half of his life due to unfair punishment.  Brown comes from a low income family which is not supposed to be a factor in determining sentencing. He was initially imprisoned with a robbery charge when he stole merchandise valued at two dollars. Brown's story compared to that of a different white man, Alex Wood, shows evidence of racism in the justice systems process.  Alex Wood had connections to congress and the religious community. Wood was found guilty after committing murder and was only given parole, not to mention numerous cocaine violations.  He never spent a night in jail for what he did.  These two men were both tried by the same judge.  The story of these two men shows favoritism to the rich white man to that of a poor black man. There were no other variables other than race and severity of the crime.

The other case mentioned in the video summarizes an African American male, George McFarland, who received the death penalty for a murder he did not commit.  No forensic evidence was presented against him and was no confession that linked him  to the murder. Only a witness connected him to the crime.  His defense attorney was a elderly white male who fell asleep during the court sessions. McFarland's lawyer was appointed to him because of his low income, though he did not fight the case.  Most of the time lawyers that are appointed are inexperienced, underpaid, overworked, and don't care about the clients case.  I think the case's outcome would have turned out much differently if McFarland would have been able to afford a proper lawyer.  The criminal justice system has an evident bias to income and race. Race has become socially constructed and an element that determines race is environmental surroundings such as income.  If convictions are decided according to economic status of the suspect and the economic status is how race is defined then the verdicts are being determined, in some way, by race.