Title: Constitutional Rights Foundation
Headings: Articles
Articles
The Color of Justice
The Color of Justice
Arrest
Plea Bargaining
Jury Verdicts
Sentencing
Death Penalty
For Discussion
Class Activity: Toward a Colorblind Justice System
I. Arrests
II. Plea Bargaining
III. Jury Verdicts
IV. Sentencing
V. Death Penalty
Debriefing Questions

Content: Other sociologists, too, have suggested that the apparent inequalities have more to do with poverty than race. Street crimes such as robbery and assault, prominent in the statistics, are usually committed by people from poor backgrounds. Today, about one quarter of all African Americans and Latinos live below the official poverty line. This compares to about 10 percent of all whites. The connection between poverty and crime has long been noted. During the 1930s, a much larger part of the white population was poor, and whites committed a greater percentage of street crime. Whites then accounted for nearly 80 percent of those in prisons and jails compared to 36 percent today. The question of poverty alone may well account for many of the apparent inequalities in the system. A RAND Corporation study, however, unearthed some disturbing data. RAND compared the treatment of whites and blacks at key decision points in the criminal justice system.