Racism Of The Justice System - 1985 Words

Racism in the Justice System Abstract: The goal of this archival research study is to identify the deep rooted prejudice and racism that has been perpetuated in our criminal justice system since it was created. Our justice system creates an unfair racial hierarchy that has and continues to criminalize African Americans due to the color of their skin. I will be analyzing the Reagan administration, the War on Drugs, corrupt police practices, media, and sentencing in order to reveal if racism and unfair treatment of African Americans in the criminal justice system is in fact occurring. Introduction: The criminal justice system is defined as the set of agencies and processes established by governments to control crime and impose penalties†¦show more content†¦Reagan Administration Ronald Reagan was president from 1981 to 1989, in which Americans saw a radical change in economic policy in the United States, commonly referred to as Reaganomics. Reaganomics on the surface called for increased military spending, tax cuts, deregulation of markets, and a decrease in social spending. However, Reaganomics was also known during this timeLOOKHERE federal, state, and local funding of the criminal justice system exploded (Miller, 1996, p.2). In less than a decade, the prisons in California doubled (Davis, 2003, p.13). The media created a violent crime panic by over representing and sensationalizing African American crimes to support Reaganomics. However, the National Crime Survey (NCS) showed crime decreasing from 1981-1990 (Miller, 1996, p. 29). Harvard Professor James Wilson advocated for â€Å"†¦the wide expansion of aggressive law enforcement, stricter laws, harsher sentences, and building more prisons† that impacted the nations policies during this period (Miller, 1996, p.139). The Assistant Attorney General, Richard Abell, claimed that locking up an offender for a year saves $405,000 in criminal activity (Miller, 1996, p.147). But the cost of incarcerating one person is between $50,000 and $60,000 per year depending on the state. That costs taxpayers over $63 billion per year (Teichner, 2012). How could so much money be saved by locking people up

Helicoprion, Prehistoric Shark Facts and Figures

The only surviving evidence of the prehistoric shark Helicoprion is a tight, curled-up coil of triangular teeth, a bit like a fruit roll-up, but considerably deadlier. As far as paleontologists can tell, this bizarre structure was attached to the bottom part of Helicoprions jaw, but exactly how it was used, and on what prey, remains a mystery. Some experts think the coil was used to grind away the shells of swallowed mollusks, while others (perhaps influenced by the movie Alien) think Helicoprion unfurled the coil explosively like a whip, spearing any unfortunate creatures in its path. Whatever the case, the existence of this coil is proof that the natural world can be stranger than (or at least as strange as) fiction! A recent fossil analysis, conducted with the aid of a high-resolution CT scanner, appears to have solved the Helicoprion enigma. Apparently, this creatures whirled teeth were actually housed inside the bone of its lower jaw; the new teeth gradually unfurled into Helicoprions mouth and pushed the older ones further away (indicating either that Helicoprion replaced its teeth unusually rapidly, or that it subsisted on soft-bodied prey like squids). In addition, when Helicoprion closed its mouth, its distinctive tooth whorl pushed food further into the back of its throat. In this same article, the authors argue that Helicoprion was not, in fact, a shark, but a prehistoric relative of the cartilaginous fish known as ratfish. Time Period of the Helicoprion Part of what makes Helicoprion such an exotic creature is when it lived: all the way from the early Permian period, about 290 million years ago, to the early Triassic, 40 million years later, at a time when sharks were only beginning to obtain a tentative toehold (or finhold) on the undersea food chain, competing as they did with comparably fierce marine reptiles. Amazingly, the early Triassic fossil specimens of Helicoprion indicate that this ancient shark somehow managed to survive the Permian-Triassic Extinction Event, which killed a whopping 95 percent of marine animals (though, to be fair, Helicoprion only managed to struggle on for a million years or so before succumbing to extinction itself). Helicoprion Facts and Figures Name: Helicoprion (Greek for spiral saw); pronounced HEH-lih-COPE-ree-onHabitat: Oceans worldwideHistorical Period: Early Permian-Early Triassic (290-250 million years ago)Size and Weight: About 13-25 feet long and 500-1,000 poundsDiet: Marine animals; possibly specialized in squidsDistinguishing Characteristics: Shark-like appearance; rolled-up teeth in front of jaw

Native Americans of Chesapeake Bay Free Essays

The Native American group in the Chesapeake Bay region was known collectively as the Powhatan Federation of Indians. Powhatan also refers to the Algonquin Indian chief that lived and ruled in the region around the early 17th century. The Algonquians were a deeply religious group of people subsisted primarily through agriculture. We will write a custom essay sample on Native Americans of Chesapeake Bay or any similar topic only for you Order Now The natives referred to the area as Tsenacommacah. Powhatan was the weroance, or chief ruler of Tsenacommacah and 25 other Algonquin villages. Powhatan would play a significant role with the 104 men from the Virginia company that made up the settlement of Jamestown. Powhatan agreed to an alliance with the settlers, Powhatan would provide the colonists with foodstuffs in exchange for guns, hatchets, and swords. Powhatan hoped this alliance would make him technologically superior over his people’s enemies. The following is a quote from Powhatan recorded by John smith in 1609; â€Å"I am not so simple as not to know it is better to eat good meat, sleep comfortably, live quietly with my women and children, laugh and be merry with the English, and being their friend, trade for their copper and hatchets, than to run away from them. (Smithsonian source, 2012) Joint stock companies were business corporations that amassed capital through sales of stock to investors. Joint stock companies were the forerunners for modern day corporations. The Virginia Company was a joint stock venture that funded the settlement at Jamestown. Colonies required ongoing capital investments and the lack of immediate returns created tensions between stockholders and the colonists. Although investors were expecting great returns, there was great risk and start up costs, and could take years to recoup their money. With an excess landless population to serve as workers, and motivated, adventurous, or devout investors, the joint-stock company became the vehicle by which England finally settled the Western Hemisphere. The first joint stock company to launch its venture in the new world was The Virginia Company of London. In 1607 The Virginia Company established the first colony along the Chesapeake bay in what is now modern day Virginia. The new colony was called Jamestown, named after King James I. The colonists arrived in the midst of the worse drought in 1,700 years, and life in the new world was hard from the get go. The settlement at Jamestown was on a swampy peninsula located in the middle of a river. The colonists proved to be ill equipped for survival, and many fell victim to starvation and disease. In attempts to ease the colonists struggle for food ,Captain John Smith made a deal with the weroance. The Powhatan would help the colonists acquire food in exchange for weaponry. This deal was short lasting, as mutual mistrust built on both sides. The weroance relocated his primary village to an area not easily accessible to the colonists. The colonists struggled greatly without Powhatan’s help, and soon were driven to starvation. This time of hardship for the colonists was referred to as the â€Å"starving time. † The situation was very bleak for the colonists, and the starving time lasted from 1609-1610. Throughout the colonists year long struggle for survival many died, and one colonist resorted to cannibalism. This was the beginning of a bloody history that ensued between the colonists and the Powhatan people. In the spring of 1610 a new wave of settlers came to Jamestown, and brought with them more supplies. Around 1613, and in attempts to gain the upper hand , the colonists kidnapped Powhatan’s daughter Pocahontas. During her captivity she was converted to Christianity and married settler John Rolfe. This event helped to further sour the relationship between the two groups. The two also could not come to terms on each others ideas of property rights, gender roles, and religion. The colonists thought the Powhatan were lazy because they did not cultivate crops, conversely the Powhatan thought the colonists effeminate for doing so. Perhaps the biggest cause for dispute was the colonists superiority complex, in which they expected full cooperation from the native people to convert to Christianity and adopt English customs. Around 1620 Jamestown finally began to prosper through tobacco cultivation and exportation. Opechancanough, Powhatan’s brother, and successor, watched as the colonists expanded and attempted to convert the natives to Christianity. This angered Opechancanough, and in March of 1622 he attacked, killing 347 colonists. The Powhatans indiscriminately attacked, men, women, and children, mutilating many of their corpses. Although the colonists were surprised at the treachery of the Powhatans, a decade and a half of hatred fueled the natives call for vengeance. The massacre was a terrible loss to the settlers, but still they persevered. A short time had passed until the settlers inflicted massive retaliation on the Powhatans. One of the colonists wrote, â€Å" Now we have just cause to destroy them by all means possible, it is more easy to civilize them by conquest than faire meanest. † (Schwarz,1997) The two sides continued their brutal onslaught for the next ten years, and in 1632 an ill advised cease-fire was agreed upon. However, in 1644 the Powhatans attacked one last time, killing several more hundred settlers. In 1646 the Powhatans surrendered for good, but the bloody history and interaction of the two will never be forgotten. Norton, M. B. , Sheriff, C. , Blight, D. W. , Chudacoff, H. P. , Logevall, F. , Bailey, B. (2012), A people a nation, a history of the united states (Vol. 1) Ninth edition. Boston, MA, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. Schwarz, Frederic D. â€Å" Massacre. † American Heritage Feb. -Mar. 1997 US History Collection. Web. 1 Apr. 2012Smith, John. (nd). Smithsonian Source. In Resources for teaching American History. Retrieved April 1, 2012, from http://www. smithsoniansource. org/. How to cite Native Americans of Chesapeake Bay, Essay examples