Reflection of How Positionality Is Relevant To Interaction with the American Criminal Justice System
In the American criminal justice system, positionality seems to matter a lot for justice to be served. The most affected groups are the minority ones, especially the non-white population. In America, the justice system is vigorously against minority groups. Race is one is of the significant factors that determine how justice might be served in the court of law. The African American and Hispanic populations are most affected because the police are against them, and most of them have ended up in prison for the crimes they did not commit. Therefore, if a white person is arrested with a Black person for crime suspicion, then there are higher chances that the black individual will suffer the consequences. Furthermore, according to research, it has been determined the most black or Hispanic individuals have been exonerated because the justice system found out that the police framed the suspects. The most common cases of police framing the suspects are the one that is related to drugs and substance possession.
Also, gender and sex play a very vital role in the American justice system. It has been identified that most people who have been convicted of drug and murder related crimes are men of color. It is not that all of them are guilty, but it is that the Justice system does not favor their defense in court, especially if it’s a white victim is involved. Before the introduction of LGBT rights were introduced in America, most gay and transgender suffered more because they were mostly incarcerated for sexually related crimes. Social, economic status is another determining factor in the interactions with the justice system in America. People of color are the most affected concerning SES because most of them are poor. The majority of them have been convicted because they lacked funds to finance their legal representation in court. Therefore, they prefer going to jail than finding a lawyer to represent them.
Currently, my social, economic status allows me to get a lawyer who will represent me in the court of law if I was to be convicted. However, if I was from a lower social, economic status, I am sure that my experience with criminal justice would have been tough. First of all, I am a Muslim, and in America, people of my Nationality are associated with terrorist acts. Therefore, I am sure that it was of a lower SES, and I happen to be suspected of a crime, then I will end up in jail. Furthermore, I might even be framed of a crime that I did not commit, and I would not be in a position to defend myself. The criminal justice system of America is so much against the minority group that it can do anything to see them incarcerated.