Patterns of Discrimination in Police Agencies

Patterns of Discrimination in Police Agencies

CJS/221

Jackie Amantia

July 20, 2015

Instructor: Dr. Linda Fisher-Lewis

Patterns of Discrimination in Police Agencies

        Discrimination is a difference based on differential treatment of groups without reference to an individual’s behavior or qualifications.  In this paper several issues and topics will be discussed such as three different forms of discrimination patterns that occur in police agencies, defining the meaning of the three different forms of discrimination in criminal justice involving; institutionalized discrimination, contextual discrimination, and individual discrimination. Also, the definition of pure justice and the difference of pure justice from the three forms of discrimination will be discussed.  Concerns of today’s policing and group discussions will be included.

        There are three forms of discrimination that will be discussed. One form is Institutionalized Discrimination is the unfortunate treatment of an impact on members of minority groups due to the explicit and implicit rules that regulate behavior. Institutional discrimination occurs when the rules, practices, or “non-conscious understandings of appropriate conduct” systematically advantage or disadvantage members of particular groups ("Div.e.q.", 2011). Second, Contextual discrimination describes a situation in which racial minorities are treated more harshly at some points and in some places in the criminal justice system, but no differently than whites at other points and in other places (Harr, 2013).  An individual act of discrimination happens when there are individuals within the criminal justice system and the juvenile justice system- not the entire agency- engaged in discrimination (Harr, 2013).

        Pure justice is when there is no form of racial or ethnic discrimination occurs at any point or time in the criminal justice process (Harr, 2013).  Pure justice is a result of no type of discrimination is happening in the criminal justice process whereas institutionalized discrimination is where rules are made just for the behaviors of minorities in institutions, organizations, and etc. Contextual discrimination is where minorities are treated harshly in some points of the criminal justice system versus pure justice where there is no discrimination. Individual acts of discrimination is where there are individuals in the criminal justice system and juvenile system, not including the entire system that is involved in discrimination acts vs. pure justice where there is not any type of discrimination.  Institutional discrimination occurs where the practices and policies of an institution systematically benefit one group at the expense of another. The concept relies on the insight that individuals act and make decisions within an institutional context, and that even where explicit racism is difficult to identify, the rules, norms, and common sense associated with institutions may lead individuals, even well-meaning ones, to systematically deny opportunities and equal rights to minorities.