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And Justice for Some: Race, Crime, and Punishment in the US Criminal Justice System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 May 2010

Jon Hurwitz  and
Mark Peffley
Jon Hurwitz*
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh
Mark Peffley*
Affiliation:
University of Kentucky
*
Jon Hurwitz, Department of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh, 4600 Posvar Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, hurwitz@pitt.edu.
Mark Peffley, Department of Political Science, University of Kentucky, 1653 Patterson, Lexington KY 40506, mark.peffley@uky.edu.
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Abstract

Abstract. Criminal justice policy in the US has long been exceedingly responsive to public opinion. Unfortunately, public attitudes towards justice in the US are severely bifurcated along racial lines, such that Whites see a system that is “colour-blind” and Blacks perceive one that is severely biased against them. In this paper, we explore the magnitude of this racial cleavage and, more importantly, demonstrate how it impacts differential reactions to events (such as accusations of police brutality) and policies (such as capital punishment) in the justice domain. To the degree that elites base policies on (mainly White) majority preferences, such policies are unlikely to be responsive to the racial discrimination that is a part of the current criminal justice environment.

Résumé. La politique pénale aux États-Unis répond énormément à l'opinion publique. Malheureusement, les positions populaires envers la justice américaine sont radicalement divisées suivant l'appartenance raciale. Aux yeux des Blancs, le système est essentiellement neutre envers les groupes raciaux différents, mais les Noirs le perçoivent comme étant fortement entaché de discrimination contre eux. Dans cet article, nous considérons l'étendue de cet écart racial et, surtout, nous démontrons comment ces perceptions entraînent des réactions différentes envers les événements (comme les accusations de brutalité policière) et envers les politiques publiques (comme la peine capitale) dans le domaine de la justice. Dans la mesure où les élites fondent les politiques sur les préférences de la majorité (surtout blanche), il est peu probable que ces politiques puissent remédier à la discrimination raciale qui fait partie du système pénal actuel.

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique , Volume 43 , Issue 2: Diversity and Democratic Politics , June 2010 , pp. 457 - 479
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Political Science Association 2010

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