Two of the major social problems facing America have been crime and racism, and there is a strong relationship between the two. Many white Americans who would otherwise not see themselves as racist associate blacks, and especially young black males, with violent urban street crime. These Americans often have little more than a visceral feeling that there is a reason to fear young black males, and they rarely examine the crime statistics for evidence. Another reason for this perception is the prevalence in the inner cities of street gangs of made up of either black or Latino youth. The criminal justice system is supposed to operate as a color-blind system, but an examination of how the accused are treated by police, the courts, and the corrections system suggests that there is inherent bias in certain aspects of the operation of the system. Much of this bias is not overt but is instead a form of institutionalized racism, and it is therefore much more difficult to eliminate. There are also inherent biases in the system based on characteristics other than race--youthful offenders are treated differently than older ones, and the poor are at a disadvantage in comparison to the wealthier defendants.
The figures on the number of blacks in prison are disheartening and seem to show a propensity for crime among blacks, though a closer examination of the figures may show an underlying reason in the poverty and in the social underclass from in which these criminals develop. It is disturbing that one out of four black men in their twenties are behind bars or on probation or parole, far more than the blacks of any age receiving higher education. Instead, many young black men learn from jailhouse companions instead of teachers, and the problem is so great, says Marc Mauer of the Sentencing Project, a justice reform group, that "we risk ... writing off an entire generation of black men." The figures he cites show that over the last six d...