criminal justice

Audio: Who's the Criminal?—Life of the Law

"In the United States, somewhere between 70 and 100 million people have criminal records. That’s a quarter to a third of all adults. People of color are punished for crimes at much higher rates than white Americans. Even crimes that whites and people of color commit at the same rate. There’s also a disparity in who ends up being punished and who ends up with a criminal record. And once you’ve got that record, it just keeps going."

When White Cops Police Black Communities, TakePart
 

If a police force is terrible, more diversity might not help much.

The Woman Who Helped Change How Police Treat Transgender People—BuzzFeed

"On the night of Dec. 10, 2009, 44-year-old Patti Hammond Shaw was drinking at her house in the Fairfax Village neighborhood of Washington, D.C., with her cousin’s friend. They were sitting on the couch, watching TV, when Shaw says the man put his hand on her leg. She pushed him away and he became violent, she says. When she fought back, he hit her across the face with an 18-inch, gold-painted replica of Michelangelo’s “David.” The statue knocked out one of her teeth and left a raw, purple welt on her head.

When the police responded, the man claimed Shaw punched him first. Despite Shaw’s injuries, the officer arrested only Shaw. He brought her first to the United Medical Center so she could receive medical care for the wounds on her face, and then to the 6th District police station. At the station, Shaw was placed alone in a cell — in the men’s cellblock."

After Pulse Shooting, LGBT Folks Of Color Worry About Increased Police Attention—NPR

"Since the Pulse nightclub shooting, activists associated with the Black Lives Matter movement and organizations of LGBT people of color have protested greater law enforcement participation in gay pride parades around the country."

The Case of CeCe McDonald—Mother Jones

She pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but activists believe this trans woman was "on trial for surviving a hate crime."