Criminal Sentencing Reform For Justice
Criminal sentencing reform is necessary for many reasons. The justice system has historically been a tool to oppress minority groups, especially people of color and women. It is also often used to economically exploit people who are poor or have low income jobs. Therefore, it’s imperative that we enact reform in order to create a just society where everyone can be treated fairly under the law. This Riot’s Legal Frame article will address and discuss the Criminal Sentencing Reform.
There Is Racial Injustice in Criminal Sentencing Reform
You may have heard that there is racial injustice in criminal sentencing reform. This is a problem, because it’s not just an issue for one race or ethnicity to tackle; it affects all of us as Americans.
In order to understand how these phenomena came about, we need to go back to when the first laws regarding criminal sentencing were written. The authors of these laws did not intend for them to be used unfairly against any group of people based on their race or ethnicity, but over time, those intentions got lost between translation into English from Latin and French (where many legal documents originate) and then again when they were translated into other languages around the world.
There Is Gender Injustice in Criminal Sentencing Reform
Women are less likely to commit crimes than men and yet they still face harsher sentences. This is because they are more likely to be victims of crime and have fewer resources to defend themselves, which leads them into the criminal justice system. In addition, women and girls experience sexual abuse at higher rates than males do; this can lead women who have been sexually assaulted or harassed into committing minor offenses such as shoplifting or public drunkenness in order to cope with their trauma (Bureau of Justice Statistics).
This pattern holds true across racial lines: Black men and boys are incarcerated at much higher rates than whites; however black women make up only 7% of US prisoners despite being 13% percent of the population overall (National Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers). This discrepancy exists because black people tend not only be incarcerated more often but also serve longer sentences when compared against other races.
There Is Economic Injustice in Criminal Sentencing Reform
Economic inequality is a major problem in the United States. In fact, it’s one of the biggest issues facing our country today. The richest 1% own more wealth than 90% of Americans combined a statistic that shouldn’t surprise anyone who has been paying attention to politics over the past few years.
But economic inequality goes beyond just income inequality; it also includes disparities in access to education and health care (or lack thereof). And these disparities are reflected in our criminal justice system: poor people are less likely to have access to quality legal representation or adequate healthcare while they’re on trial; they’re also more likely to be arrested and convicted on charges that carry longer sentences than those faced by wealthy defendants accused of similar crimes.
Enact Criminal Sentencing Reform to Create a Just Society
Criminal sentencing reform is needed to create a just society. We must enact reforms that create a system that is fair, even-handed, and proportionate. We should focus on rehabilitation instead of retribution when it comes to criminal sentencing. This means focusing on community safety for all members of our society instead of just punishing those who have done wrong by them.
Conclusion
We must enact criminal sentencing reform to create a just society. This is especially true for those who are most vulnerable, including people of color, women and low-income individuals. While it may seem like an overwhelming task to tackle these issues, there are concrete steps we can take to make progress towards this goal. To explore Criminal Sentencing Reform, visit Riot’s Legal Frame