Racial And Criminal Profiling

Racial and Criminal Profiling

The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program came about in 1929 by the International Association of Chiefs of Police to create a reliable, uniform crime statistics for the nation. The FBI was tasked with collecting, publishing, and archiving those statistics. As a result, several annual statistical publications, such as the comprehensive Crime in the United States, are produced from data provided by nearly 17,000 law enforcement agencies across the United States. (FBI, 2012)

Before you are directed to view the UCR Crime in the United States publication you are given a cautionary notice which can be translated to a warning or a be aware of. One of the weaknesses of the UCR is that it only consists of data that is actually reported to the police. Many entities use the UCR to report certain information.

The statistics provide no insight into the different factors that mold the crime in an area. This information can create misleading perceptions and cause more damage to cities and counties, along with their residents. "Until data users examine all the variables that affect crime in a town, city, county, state, region, or other jurisdiction, they can make no meaningful comparisons" (FBI, Caution against ranking, 2012).

Prejudice

Prejudice is a negative attitude toward a person or group of people for no particular reason. It affects the way a person thinks and acts. It is an unfavorable feeling formed about someone or something without any prior knowledge. Prejudice is an attitude, and attitudes come from what we feel, our behavioral tendencies and our beliefs.

Stereotype

Stereotyping is when you judge people based on a variety of different things such as their religion, race or gender. The problem with stereotypes is that they are usually wrong. You may hear some of the following stereotypes: All Asians like rice; African a person has formed an opinion about a person or a thing, it is difficult to change that person's opinion about that thing.

Discrimination

Discrimination is a behavior unlike prejudice which is an attitude Americans like to eat chicken; Blondes have more fun; Drug dealers drive cars with big rims. Discrimination begins by a person having a negative attitude (prejudice) about something or someone.

But, not every prejudicial attitude or belief results in a hostile action, and not every discriminatory practice is the result of personal prejudice. There are examples of racism and sexism that are not results of a personal prejudice. This type of discrimination exists even when there is no intent on the part of a specific person to discriminate against a group (U.S. Department of Justice, 1996).

Racism

Racism has been around since the beginning of time. It can be defined as hatred toward another race, or the belief that another person is less human because of different factors like skin color, financial status, and religious beliefs.

In times past, African Americans had to ride in the back of the bus and if a white person came on the bus and needed a seat, the African American person would be told to get up. Rosa Parks, who is called "The Mother of the Modern-Day Civil Rights Movement" refused to give up her seat on a bus for a white man and was arrested and charged.

Sexism

Sexism can be viewed in the same manner as discrimination. It can be both the individual's prejudice and discrimination toward a certain sex, and it is more common toward women.

In-group/Out-group

"In-group is defined as a group of people who share a sense of belonging within the group and a feeling of common identity within that group. The out-group is defined as a group is perceived as being different from or set apart from the in-group" (U.S. Department, 1996). The in-group is another way of saying those that make up the majority and feel they are better than those who they have a prejudice against. The out-group is another way of saying the minority, and they are viewed as inadequate, beneath and less human than those of the in-group.

Conformity

Conformity is when the different behaviors like discrimination, racism, sexism and stereotyping become the normal thing to do so the people in that area will conform to accepted behavior.

Institutional supports/Social categorization

Social can be explained as relating to society and categorization is the class of something that has something in common. Social categorization is grouping of individuals by things they have in common such as race, religion, gender, age, job or anything that people have in common. Institutional support can be explained as the assistance or support that is received