Disparity and Discrimination

Disparity and Discrimination

Disparity can be defined as an inequality while discrimination can be defined as a prejudice. I will set forward to define these terms as they relate to the criminal justice system and how the terms relate to one another. In addition to the terms, I will provide examples of each.

Discrimination takes place everyday within the criminal justice system on several dissimilar levels. Discrimination within the United States criminal justice system is a direct cause of prejudice, which is predetermined by a group, or a person that is against another group or person. Discrimination is also due to race, ethnicity, social class, gender, level of income as well as religion. Concerns of both race and class have an impact on possibility of involvement with the criminal justice system and treatment with the system. For instance, low income citizens are commonly overrepresented within every stage of the criminal justice system, and it is usually acknowledged that individuals of color are disproportionately low income.

An example of discrimination in criminal justice would be a case that took place in Winnfield, Louisiana, on January 17, 2008. Baron Pikes is an African American known to his family and friends as Scooter, was walking down the street in the small town of Winnfield. Pikes took off running as a Caucasian police officer approached him. Pikes was finally cornered by another officer outside a grocery store and arrested on a cocaine charge. While Baron Pikes is secured with handcuffs, he was brutally tortured. Officers tasered Pikes nine times and according to the corners reports he stopped jolting after the seventh shock. Dr. Randolph Williams, the Winn Parish coroner, told CNN the 21 year-old sawmill worker was jolted so many times by the 50,000 volt Taser that he might have been dead before the last two shocks were delivered (griffin, 2008).

Within the United States criminal justice system disparity has a tendency to be associated race, background as well as ones income level. When certain quality, which cause a certain group of individuals to be dissimilar from an additional group of individuals but they are not being categorized as different because of something against the group but because of the factors which are uncontrollable is called disparity. An example of disparity would be a case such as the Kobe Bryant trail.

Kobe Bryant plays basketball for Los Angles Lakers. Bryant was accused of rape in the state of Colorado. The area of Colorado where Bryant was charged is a very undersized population of African Americans. Kobe Bryant lawyer believed due to the panel of jurors consisting of all whites Bryant could not get an equality trial. Bryant Lawyer believed there should be some of his own minorities in attendance among the jurors. Because of the demographics of where this accused assault took place there was nothing that could be done this situation