Racial Impact Statement Analysis

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In efforts to draw a reliable conclusion about whether factors, such as a defendants’ race or ethnicity, directly contribute to prosecution and sentencing, the City University of New York conducted a study. As with other studies, the outcome of their research found similar results to that of the aforementioned studies. Using the data from the New York County District Attorney’s Office, which kept records of 185,275 diverse criminal cases, the study assessed racial and ethnic disparities for discretions in prosecution and sentencing. Findings from this analysis determined that the effects of race and ethnicity vary by discretionary point and offense category. For instance, Black and Latino defendants were more likely than that of White defendants…show more content…
The following are some recommendations that can aid in eliminating or at least reducing sentencing disparity amongst racial and ethnic groups. Largely, additional research needs to be conducted to identify underlying issues related to this sensitive issue; however, if the following strategies are implemented correctly, they can prove to be a start in tackling the issue of racial disparity. Racial impact statement legislation should be adopted. Prior to adopting sentencing or other criminal justice legislation, racial statement policies should be required to consider any undue racial effects that might occur. This type of statement is similar to that of fiscal or environmental impact statements. In Iowa and Connecticut, legislators are provided assessments that evaluate the racial and ethnic impacts of proposed sentencing legislations. In instances where the analysis indicates that the policy would yield unwarranted and disproportionate effects, policy makers are not precluded from adopting the legislation, but they are made aware of any adverse effects. Ultimately, this provides them the opportunity to consider alternative means without exacerbating racial disparities (Mauer,…show more content…
Within the criminal justice system, the overlap of issues related to race and class is profoundly identifiable. A large contributor to this disproportionate rate of incarceration is the lack of necessary resources. Such resources include things like limited access to treatment facilities/programs and insufficient defense services for impoverished defendants. By being able to provide credible sentencing options for the courts, a larger number of defendants can be sentenced to community supervision. This would help eliminate costly incarceration outcomes while allowing for the offenders to maintain ties with the community and more importantly, their family (Mauer,

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