Does race really play a part in criminal justice outcomes?

Lady Justice wears a blindfold, most say. But does she peek beneath the cloth when the defendant walks in?

In the United States, the numbers show a truth colder than the bars a prisoner is trapped in. Although African Americans make up only 13% of America’s 350 million person population, the same demographic makes up about 40% of all people incarcerated in the country. Arrests tend to be made with more force, cases conclude quicker and it seems the lighter punishments are reserved for those with a lighter skin complexion. 

Another interesting relationship is with the amount of money each demographic makes. White people on average earn more on average, leading them to be able to afford a better lawyer during legal issues and not have to rely on an overworked public defender.

This trend is observed across the Atlantic as well. In Singapore, Malay people make up a disproportionate amount of drug related criminal offences. A similar trend where people of a darker skin tone are more likely to be incarcerated for an offense. In the Philippines, the war on drugs has filled morgues significantly faster than courtrooms, and race—a matter wrapped in class and scars that date back to colonial times—determines who faces justice and who we never hear from again. 

Some say that the justice system is flawed, yet it works as it’s intended to. The legal justice framework of most if not all countries around the world are built on hundreds of years of inequality. Just based on the way someone looks, their punishment is decided long before their conviction.