Race has been defined as the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. This has produced the view that Euro-Americans’ social, cultural, and economic advantaged position must be maintained at the expense of others as the normal life. The influential power of race, gender and class are explained and illustrated through the collection of essays. The dynamics of power are divided based on different social classifications. Concrete Responses The essays included present a compelling but biased study within the context of class, race and gender.
The pieces that will be mentioned touch on the fact that in society gender stereotypes are formed. They intermingle with one’s class and gender. The classes being discussed were upper, middle, and lower class. The two races being discussed so far were African American and whites. What about these two races connect with class?
For example the British crime survey (2007) found 90% of where the victim was white; at least one of the offenders was also white. However while victim surveys are useful in identifying ethnic patterns of offending, they have several limitations. They rely on a victim’s memory of events. Ben Bowling and Coretta Phillips (2002) found whites may over identify blacks, saying the offender was black even when not sure. They only cover personal crimes, which make up 20% of all
Institutional racism ensures that people of different races receive different treatment and opportunities in public services within the society and it also denied other things such as benefits, rewards that other individual might be entitle to in normal cases. People in powerful positions can use their race based stereotypes and conditioned behaviour to develop procedures and practices that put some racial groups at a disadvantage (Parekh, 2000) Institutional racism in the labor market is seen by the way companies, organizations and public institutions offer services, hire, promote and treat people of races to be considered inferior. Companies and organizations in the UK have proved that race plays a vital role in the provision of services to the public (Bloch, 2010). Culture, colour, and ethnic background remain a very fundamental factor in treatment of different people in the society. Focusing on the main essay,One institution that has remained controversial in offering services to the public is the police (Young and Mooney, 1999).
Most of these individuals have spent a minimum of 4 years in prison before they were exonerated. There have been many other cases were a person had spent 30 years of their life in jail for a wrongful conviction. Fortunately, an error was corrected and the case was overturned. But unfortunately those years taken from a person can not be replaced. There are many factors that play a part in a wrongful conviction.
Racial Disparity in Correctional Populations Sarah R. Steiner CJA 423 September 13, 2011 University of Phoenix Racial Disparity in Correctional Populations The irrefutable evidence that minorities are disproportionate represented in the United States prison populations. Many reasons include drug offenses, three strikes law, and social economic disparity. Racial disparity in the correctional population refers to the difference in the number of minorities versus Whites represented inside institutions. Many of those who are incarcerated are not the serial killers, child molesters, or gang members but instead it is the non- violate offenders, also property crimes such as theft, and people with drug abuse problems. It this paper the subject to be analyzed is the racial disparity in correctional populations and the reasons why it happens.
Gender affects a person's roles and position in society. Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women. When the phrase “Gender wage gap” is used it refers to the difference in earnings between men and women. When evaluations of jobs that are identical are performed they have the same identical pay scale. The “gender wage gap” theory is not evidenced by accurate current information.
Discrimination can happen in the workplace as well. The company as a whole can have a discriminatory attitude toward a particular group of people based on different factors. For instance, women may be passed over for promotions because of their sex or those with disabilities may not be hired because of the stereotypes associated with them. Discrimination can stem from one living outside of another’s community and not fully understanding the lifestyle that they live. It can also stem from someone of the same background who chooses to deny their own background.
Question: What is the difference between ethnicity and race, and is class analysis still important for understanding social inequality globally? Provide examples about how gender, class and race inequalities reinforce each other and contradict each other. There are many factors which go into determining the path a person’s life can take; the most significant of those being the social class into which he or she is born. Every civilised society has a class society. Each of these societies has based its civilisation, its culture, its technology, on the oppression of the majority by a minority.
Racial disparity can occur in all aspects of the criminal justice system including law enforcement, court procedures, and corrections. “Racial disparity in the criminal justice system exists when the proportion of a racial or ethnic group within the control of the system is greater than the proportion of such groups in the general population” (The Sentencing Project, 2008, p. 1). One example of disparity in the criminal justice system exists in the jails and prisons. Blacks are incarcerated at a much higher rate than whites in respect to the size of each population. According to the United States Bureau of Justice Statistics the incarceration rate in state and local jails for all states was 2289 per 100,000 for blacks and 412 per 100,000 for whites in 2005 (Beck, & Harrison, 2006).