Analysis of Black Criminal Stereotypes And Racial Profiling Article Authored by Welch - Research Paper Example

 Pan African Studies Introduction The article under review was authored by Kelly Welch, an assistant professor of sociology, in 2007. The article addresses the issue of racial stereotyping of criminals within American culture. The author notes that racial stereotyping of Blacks as criminals remain pervasive throughout the society to the extent “criminal predator” is employed, as a euphemism, to delineate “young Black male.” The pervasive stereotype has mistakenly played a critical role in shaping the basis of practice and unofficial policy on racial profiling highlighted by studies on criminal justice system (Welch, 2007). Welch’s article explores the theoretical elements that play a part in the development of Black criminal typification in justifying racial profiling. Welch seek to address the diverse factors contributing to the criminal stereotyping of Blacks since this perception has, unfortunately, availed a rationale for the sorts for racial profiling employed by law enforcement agencies, as well as other criminal justice institutions (Welch, 2007). Welch uses prior research to explore the theoretical elements employed in the development of Black criminal characterization. The author highlights studies on theoretical elements employed in the development of Black criminal characterization. The prior research assumes a weak correspondence between the broadly embraced stereotypes and criminality (Quillian & Pager, 2001). Questions remain on the guarantee of the accuracy of data collection procedures, and as the information backing the observation may be erroneous. The article on racial profiling can be criticized based on its methods and conclusions. The author does not take into account the conceptual framework employed in the development of Black criminal characterization (Unnever & Gabbidon, 2011). This derives from the fact that different theories may explain racial disparities and problems arise when interpreting findings on racial profiling since the mere presence of disparity within the aggregate statistics does not, itself demonstrate racial bias in the same way that racial disparities within prison populations demonstrate racial bias by sentencing judges (Russell, 2013). The implications of findings on Black criminal stereotypes and racial profiling Welch cites empirical studies on Black and crime to demonstrate that Blacks remain mostly depicted in a negative light such as criminally threatening (Welch, 2007). This implies that can be understood as a crime-specific mode of racial prejudice and discrimination. Welch appreciates that the present recognizability of the image of young Black criminals emanates from the diverse representations of crime. The drivers of this relationship that many people identify between African Americans and criminality encompass the actual involvement within crime, especially when it comes to violent offences (Unnever & Gabbidon, 2011). Welch notes that Blacks account for disproportionate incidences of crime arrests, in which Blacks remain lopsidedly convicted and incarcerated. Nevertheless, public estimates of Black criminality exceed the reality and the media often perpetuate ideas connecting race with criminality, which may be propelled by political agendas. The use of racial hoax also plays a part in strengthening perceptions on crime and race. Welch asserts that the outlined phenomena play a critical role in entrenching the stereotype of young Blacks as criminal threat among the public within American society, which in turn, propels the practice of racial profiling within the criminal justice system. This has played a prominent role in justifying law enforcement tactics that exploit race in the course of criminal investigations. Welch notes that the unofficial practice of racial profiling within the criminal justice system can be flawed and based on discriminatory practices; hence, such a practice should be negated as it serves no useful purpose (Russell, 2013). In concur with the author that perceptions regarding presumed racial identity of criminals remain deeply ingrained within public consciousness to the level that race prominently features, for a connection, to be established between the two given “talking crime is tantamount to talking about race.” The perception that crime is a problem unreasonably attributable to African Americans is not an entirely new phenomenon. The practice of officials targeting racial minorities within criminal investigations can be regarded as an attempt to enhance the probability of uncovering illegal activity, which validates overriding stereotypes regarding race of some criminals. Statistics indicate that Blacks are, in fact, involved in a disproportionate amount of crime in both violent and general crime, whereby Blacks can be arrested in absolute numbers that exceed those of Whites. Researchers have indicated that crime perpetrated by African Americans may be salient given that, it surpasses what would be expected based on racial proposition of the country (Welch, 2007). The consumption of illegal drugs can be regarded as a particular racially typified phenomenon; moreover, drug abuse is regularly connected to other forms of crime such as assault and robbery. This phenomenon strengthens the association of Black with crime and crime with blacks (Harris, 2003). Multiple studies have utilized data from law enforcement agencies to demonstrate whether or not racial profiling is manifest within the law enforcement agencies. Most racial profiling studies seldom avail definitive proof of racial profiling; nevertheless, they avail valuable insights into the manner in which law enforcement agencies work. Drawing conclusions from such data can be dangerous since such studies may have used flawed methods. This critique is not far-fetched since the perceptions of law enforcement agencies are comparatively static (Cole & Smith, 2008). Critics of law enforcement agencies may feel vindicated in the event that the research aligns with previously developed opinions of the police. It is evident that whatever differences that may manifest at the level of behavior such differences may be intensified by differences at the level of incarceration, as well as other kinds of criminal differences. Other possible sources of the profiling of criminals as young Black males can be linked to media sources in which the media avails readily accessible depictions of criminality, which may aid to shape perceptions regarding crime and subsequent justice practices. This arises from the fact that the media enjoys the power to construct the meaning of race within the society. It is evident that the media plays a critical role in depicting Blacks as criminals based on media depiction to viewers and readers (Petrocelli, Piquero, & Smith, 2003). Blacks are highly likely to be depicted as criminally threatening on local television, which reinforces social construction of threat relative to Blacks. The practice of racial profiling can also be reinforced by the use of the racial hoax, which constitutes false allegations of engagement within criminal activity based on the race of the alleged perpetrator. Racial hoaxes can be primarily employed to sidetrack attention away from the person making the accusation. The core aim of utilizing racial hoaxes centers on capitalizing on society’s fears and anxieties regarding a racialized criminal type. The utilization of racial hoax exploits the overriding notions on the involvement of young black men in crime and also spreads the profiling of racial discrimination by further availing violent examples and threatening examples of Black criminals. Black continues to be disproportionately incarcerated, policed, and sentenced at comparatively higher rates relative to other populations. Racial profiling may yield to disenfranchising of the populations as most people view the system as discriminatory and are likely to distrust law enforcement, especially the question on whether justice will prevail. Conclusion Welch’s article explores the theoretical elements employed during the development of Black criminal characterization to understand how this has been employed to justify racial profiling. Research has demonstrated that the overriding perceptions within the U.S. are that Blacks engage in African-American in violent crimes, a perception that is reinforced by crime statistics. There is no doubt that stereotypes impacts on the perceptions of crime levels. However, most of the studies on racial profiling lack a reliable and valid base rate, which is connected to a theoretical framework that guide data collection efforts or play a part interpretation of results. References Cole, G. F., & Smith, C. E. (2008). Criminal justice in America. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth. Harris, D. A. (2003). The reality of racial disparity in criminal justice: The significnance of data collection. Law and Contemporary Problems, 66 (3): 71-98. Petrocelli, M., Piquero, A. R., & Smith, M. R. (2003). Conflict and racial profiling: An empirical analysis of poice traffic stop data. Journal of Criminal Justice, 31 (1): 1-11. Quillian, L. & Pager, D. (2001). Black neighbours, higher crime? The role of racial stereotypes in evaluations of neighborhood crime. AJS, 3 (1): 717-67. Russell, B. L. (2013). Perceptions of female offenders: How stereotypes and social norms affect criminal justice responses. New York, NY: Springer. Unnever, J. & Gabbidon, S. (2011). Race, racism, and crime. New York, NY: Routledge. Welch, K. (2007). Black criminal stereotypes and racial profiling. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 23 (1): 276-288. Read More