Before you start this assignment, please review the data on racial disparities in mass incarceration by the Prison Policy Initiative. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2020/07/27/disparities/
Decades of research has shown that within the justice system, there are pervasive problems with racism and classism, which often start before the first contact and continue through pleas, conviction, incarceration, release, and beyond. Many advocates have alleged that in order to avoid disparate treatment, sensitive attributes should not be considered. This is known as Equality; everyone gets the same uniform treatment; individual characteristics and personal history are not taken into consideration. On the other hand, other advocates have countered this argument, and explained that to avoid disparate treatment, sensitive attributes must be examined. This is known as Equity; every individual gets the opportunities and resources that they need, depending on their specific situation. This model recognizes that because of personal characteristics and differences, some individual may need differing resources.
For this assignment, your task is to address the following question, when it comes to the justice system, what is fair? More specifically, is a fair justice system one where everyone gets the same uniform treatment (Equality)? Or is a fair justice system one where institutions recognize differences such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, veteran status, dis/ability, documentation status, mental health history, etc., and takes these differences into consideration when deciding treatment (Equity)?
Your paper should be answered in the following five section format:
Section 1: Introduce the topic of fairness in the justice system. Create a thesis sentence and include your stance on the topic (is fairness in the justice system equated more with equality or equity). Your thesis statement will set the tone of your paper. Include historical or contemporary context or statistics relevant to your stance.
Section 2: List one fact, detail, or example relevant to the topic of justice and fairness that supports your stance. Explain this evidence in detail. This evidence can be in the form of a particular case, a policy, or a theory. Use data or literature to support. End this section with a concluding sentence that reasserts how the topic sentence of this section helps better understand and/or prove your paper’s overall claim.
Section 3: List one fact, detail, or example relevant to the topic of justice and fairness that supports your stance. Explain this evidence in detail. This evidence can be in the form of a particular case, a policy, or a theory. Use data or literature to support. End this section with a concluding sentence that reasserts how the topic sentence of this section helps better understand and/or prove your paper’s overall claim.
Section 4: List one fact, detail, or example relevant to the topic of justice and fairness that supports your stance. Explain this evidence in detail. This evidence can be in the form of a particular case, a policy, or a theory. Use data or literature to support. End this section with a concluding sentence that reasserts how the topic sentence of this section helps better understand and/or prove your paper’s overall claim.
Section 5: Conclusion. Briefly summarize the main points of your paper and its connections to the concept of fairness. List at least one counter argument that poses against your argument and/or some aspect of your reasoning? Refute these claims. End section with a concluding sentence that reasserts the importance of fairness in justice practices.
EACH section should be at least one paragraph (5-9 sentences) and include a subheading. New paragraphs should be indented.
FORMAT:
Cover Page: Formatted in APA, 7th Edition: Cover Page should include following information: Meaningful Title; Students name; the name of the University (California State University Northridge); Course name (CJS 454MJ Minorities and Criminal Justice); Semester term (e.g.) Spring 2022; Professors name (Dr. Posey); and the date.
Font: Times New Roman; Size 12.
Margins: 1 inch.
Spacing: Double spaced.
Additional Formatting Requirements: Page numbers beginning on the first page; Running header.
Paper Length: The completed paper should be 3-4 pages in length (not including the Cover Page and References Page).
Citations and References Page: APA format, 7th edition.
***Any and all outside sources need to be cited internally (within your paper) and externally (on a references page). References should be listed on their own page, alphabetically, with “References Page” or “Work Cited” at the top.
Papers not submitted in this format will receive a reduced grade. For more information on formatting and grading guidelines, see the ‘writing assignments’ section of the syllabus and the ‘writing assignments rubric’ in Canvas.
*Note: Sources and references should come from books, lecture, peer reviewed studies, or credible news sources.
**See the resources in the ‘Writing Assignment Resources Module’ for formatting questions and information on credible sources.
NOTE: This assignment requires you to think critically about the topic of racial injustices and how you view fairness. The purpose of this assignment is NOT to dispute or debate the existence of racism or inequality in the justice system. The expectation is that although there is not one perspective that is more or less correct than the other, which ever perspective you choose, your work should be thoughtful, thorough, well-articulated, supported by credible research, and relevant from a criminological and justice studies perspective (e.g.) no illogicluval claims or conspiracy theories.