Victoriano Gutierrez

Victoriano Gutierrez

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The Enduring Racial Divide in the Death Penalty Support observes explanations for racial divide in the death penalty support. White American support reached 79% and African American support dropped to 28% at times. Racial differences in experiences with the criminal justice system, the fear of crime and victimization experience, prejudice, discrimination, and beliefs about racial inequality accounted for African and white American positions on capital punishment and the death penalty. On average an African American male who appears lower class is judged faster and more negative than a white American male who appears lower class. White Americans and police officers are more likely to judge the African American. Their judgement could either be right or wrong. Police officers are usually people's first interaction with the criminal justice system. African Americans have a disproportionally higher rate of arrest from police scrutiny and brutality. Throughout the criminal justice system: law enforcement, courts, corrections, probation, and capital punishment African Americans are arrested, convicted, and rehabilitated by an unjust system. Disregarding income, political ideology, gender, religion, and neighborhoods African Americans oppose the death penalty. African Americans are unfairly sentenced with the death penalty because it abuses them more than other ethnicities.

Perceived Racial and Ethnic Composition of Neighborhood and Perceived Risk of Crime discussed how Florida residents interpreted the racial configuration of communities and interpreted crime risk. White, African, and Hispanic Americans were interviewed. Southern Florida resides 70% of Florida's entire Hispanic population. In southern Florida the African American population is 41%. African American's perceived crime risk did not relate to the perceived distribution of racial neighborhoods. Within southern Florida, Hispanics did not perceive a crime risk from the vicinity of Hispanic and African Americans. Outside of southern Florida Hispanics did perceive crime risk when nearby Hispanic and African Americans. Outside of southern Florida, whites did not perceive a crime risk from the closeness of Hispanic and African Americans. Whites did perceive a crime risk from the propinquity of Hispanic and African Americans in southern Florida. People feel more comfortable around people like themselves. Southern Florida thrives with Hispanic communities because 70% of Florida Hispanics live in southern Florida. Due to an established Hispanic community, more Hispanics moving in does not create a perceived crime risk for Hispanics. People with the same nationality understand each other better, make stronger evaluations and observations without jumping to conclusions too quickly, and are more capable of seeing the good or the bad within a person because they understand their own culture. In southern Florida, it is easier for a Hispanic than a white American to distinguish if another Hispanic poses as a threat. Whites in southern Florida may have a relation between perceived crime and perceived racial composition of neighborhoods because they cast judgement on the minority groups surrounding them.

Both articles are a demonstration showing people have an instinct for a sense of preconceived judgement. Regardless of race or ethnical background an individual makes judgement on the individual standing across from them. An individual's clothing, means of transportation, and music lead to casted judgement. The judgment could be positive, negative, or neutral; however, it is some type of judgment. This judgment comes as an instinct because it is our first defense against harm. This preconceived judgement is complicated to discuss and nonetheless debatable. The criminal justice system interprets the conduct one way, and everyone else sees it a different way. Society needs to be careful about judgement made towards others because it may not be true. Citizens cannot be so quick to judge, and police officers need to be more careful on who they judge.