The Myth of a Racial Criminal Justice System

The Myth of a Racist Criminal Justice System was a book written by William Lee Wilbanks in 1987.  The book has opposing theories written dispelling what Wilbanks believes.  The Myth of a Racial Criminal Justice System is a book that aims to persuade readers of the idea that the criminal justice system is not racist.  The book doesn’t deny the existence of racism within the system but the criminal justice itself is not racist. It doesn’t use evidence of arrest data, charging, pleas, imprisonment rates, or parole decisions.  Methodological flaws and interpretation is the main focus. The text expresses Wilbanks analysis of how the criminal justice system can be broken up into right and wrong and his opinion of the matter.

William Wilbanks believes that most decisions in the criminal justice system are not based on discrimination.  However, they are based on the severity of the crime, amount of evidence, and prior criminal record. He is known for coining the term systematic racism in The Myth of a Racial Criminal Justice System.  Systematic racism is used as a standard to measure American criminal justice which disproves the presence of discrimination. Wilbanks argues the fact that for racism to occur that there needs to be discrimination in all aspects of the criminal justice system or none at all; a go big or go home ideology.  After reviewing he concludes that the system is not racist during all steps of the process.

William Wilbanks attempts to disprove an idea using logic.  However, the majority of scholars believe that there are certain biases that are evident in certain practices and policies.   The criminal justice system is not completely color blind though and the issue of racism which the system is not as black and white as Wilbanks believes.  Wilbanks makes it seem like whole is not racist by claiming that one innocent portion of the system is what make it so.  But, if one part of something is broken isn’t everything that the system contaminated.  It is like saying it is only a little racist, so it is not that big of a deal.  Besides he backs up his evidence with in his book with no statistics, only interpretations of what he thinks.  It gives proof that even someone who does not believe that the criminal justice system is racist does claim of the existence of it.  So there is such a thing as a middle ground.