In the media, we hear about people of race being treated differently by the police and the justice system. Racial profiling is something that, unfortunately, is a big problem in the world today. People of color are watched over carefully or suspected for a crime that they did not even commit, or they commit a minor crime, but are given a prison sentence that doesn’t seem to fit what they have done. 

For example, a man in Alabama was arrested and sentenced to 36 years for only stealing $50 worth of stuff. People of color are given longer sentences for committing the same crime as someone who is white. Brock Turner raped a young woman named Chanel Miller, who was intoxicated. He got caught in the act and was charged with three felonies. He ended up only spending three months in jail. According to CNN, Judge Persky let Turner out “based on Turner’s lack of criminal history, his show of ‘sincere remorse’ and the fact that alcohol was involved, impairing his judgment.” It was also said imprisonment would ruin the rest of his life and the judge did not want that. None of these reasons are valid for such a terrible crime. Brock Turner was let off the hook for rape because he was white. 

Even though this case is a couple of years old, how can the justice system be this messed up? Some would say that arrests like these do not have to do with race and might have to do with how rich or poor someone is or the person’s past criminal record. In the end, a crime is a crime and if you committed it, no matter what your background is, you should have to serve the full and appropriate sentence. People should not be let off the hook for a major crime just because of the color of their skin, the amount of money they have or what their profession is. Everyone should always be treated equal. 

Another example is the arrest of Jason Van Dyke, a former Chicago police officer. He was sentenced to only seven years in prison for a fatal shooting. He was charged with second degree murder. According to Van Dyke’s attorney, he felt happy about continuing on with his life after his jail sentence. A white man shoots someone and he gets less than 10 years, but a black man steals $50 worth of something and receives 36 years. The justice system is not fair but hopefully in the future to come, things will be changed for the better.

Photo from jodylehigh via Pixabay