Changing Policy for Minorities

Adrian Miguel Santos

University of Maryland Global Campus

November 2019
 Minorities make up 40% of the United States population from last year, an

estimated increase around 1,271,000 people from two years ago (Schaeffer, 2019).

The numbers do not lie when researchers have determined that the minority

population is growing while the non-Hispanic white population is decreasing.

Equally important is why the changes to our criminal justice system should happen

to better service minorities as they will inevitably be the majority population.

However, it has been in the works for a long time coming by showing clemency to

all who are accused or allowing them a second chance to fix themselves. Above all,

in order to reduce the high cost of incarceration and better serve minority

communities, the criminal justice system needs to revise its relationship with the

public, create more opportunities for better living conditions as well as second

chances, and relax laws governing clemency to minor crimes.

In the meantime, Bubar (2019) found that “the United States criminal justice

system railroads innocent people as well as petty offend ers every day” (para. 2).

Death happens in jails and prisons because the lack of care or plain malice by

public officials. In the same way, this should be looked over by the intuitions ’

superiors to make sure those accused are safe and being taken care in the most

humane manner. On the other hand, if all offenders with nonviolent drug crimes

were released in the United States, it would have the highest prison population

worldwide (Bubar, 2019). For instance, this is where second cha nces should be used

to eliminate the issue of unwanted or unnecessary incarceration not just in the

United States but, around the world. Bubar (2019) noted:

 Last May, reality TV mega-celebrity Kim Kardashian arrived at the White
House and successfully lobbied President Donald Trump to grant clemency to
Alice Marie Johnson, a grandmother then serving life in federal prison for a
nonviolent drug crime. It would be easy to read that sentence as an
encapsulation of the deeply absurd times we're living through, Along with
Kardashian getting lifers out of prison, Republicans and Democrats hugged
on the Senate floor to celebrate the passage of a bill rolling back some
mandatory minimum sentences, and former Obama green jobs czar Van Jones
stood in the White House with conservative and evangelical Christian leaders
to applaud the signing of that bill. Johnson, who served 21 years in federal
prison before Kardashian got her released, was an honored guest at Trump's
State of the Union speech this January and published a book about her
experiences (para. 1&2)
To begin with the change of the criminal justice system for minorities must start with

juveniles since they are epitome for what might happen in the future. In fact, according to

Osher, Quinn, Poirier, & Rutherford (2003) explained that as children fall through our societal

safety net, they enter the pipeline to prison, which is costly to our society in terms of

disrupted families, wasted lives, and preventable crimes (p.91). Not only do the costs begin

before they enter prison, it extends well after their release if they are involved with gang

activity. In the same way young delinquents seemed to be followed by recidivism along with

unemployment. Furthermore, being charged as an adolescent set them up for failure since they

are not receiving guidance or proper education. In addition to growing body of research

suggests that delinquency prevention programs are a good investment. The issue is known by

professionals however, it is not used well. Osher et al. (2003) found a longitudinal study of

1,517 inner city boys in Pittsburgh became persistent serious offenders by the age of twelve.

Approximately 66% of the boys had behavior problems from before they have attended

juvenile court. Less than half of the boys received help from schools or mental health

professionals (p.94). It is unfortunate because when the problem is becoming addressed and

fixed, many schools decide to make changes that conflict the data. As a result, this impacts
minorities because they not receiving the required help necessary to better themselves for the

future.
 Resources
Bubar, J. (2019, May 13). Second Chances. Junior Scholastic, 121(13), 4-9. Retrieved from

http://scholastic.com/

Osher, D. M., Quinn, M. M., Poirier, J. M., & Rutherford, R. B. (2003). Deconstructing the

pipeline: Using efficacy, effectiveness, and cost-benefit data to reduce minority youth

incarceration. New directions for youth development, 2003(99), 91-120. doi:

10.1002/yd.56

Schaeffer, K. (2019, July 30). The most common age among whites in U.S. is 58? more than double that of

racial and ethnic minorities. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-

tank/2019/07/30/most-common-age-among-us-racial-ethnic-groups/