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AbstractWe provide a selective survey of the literature on discrimination by criminal justice agents, and argue for a taxonomy of harms that differs from conventional approaches. Discrimination can be self‐defeating if it reduces welfare among targets of discrimination while serving no legitimate purpose for the discriminating party. Even if a legitimate purpose is served, discrimination can be deliberative or demeaning, resulting in welfare losses that need to be accounted for. Deliberative and demeaning discrimination can also be self‐defeating through general equilibrium effects on witness cooperation, clearance rates, and preemptive and retaliatory violence. We consider how harmful discrimination can be detected and avoided, as well as changes in our understanding of discrimination resulting from the proliferation of predictive algorithms.

The recent focus on the controversial deaths of minorities at the hands of police officers has led to increased attention on racial bias among the law enforcement community. However, this focus does not extend to criminal justice students. Instead, research examining undergraduates' racial attitudes focuses on the general student body. In addition to reviewing literature related to criminal justice students' attitudes toward a variety of criminal justice and social issues, the current study used multiple regression analyses to examine racial and gender differences in a Southwestern University's criminal justice students' perceptions of and sensitivity to racism. Findings from the study indicate that male criminal justice students in the sample and White criminal justice students are more likely to have lower perceptions of racism than their female and non-White counterparts, respectively. Additionally, findings for criminal justice students' sensitivity to racism suggest that White male criminal justice students' sensitivity to racism only statistically significantly differs from non-White females with White males more likely to be less sensitive than non-White females. Furthermore, the current research provides a benchmark for research related to criminal justice students' perceptions of racism and discriminatory practices and their attitudes toward minorities. Results, study implications, recommendations, and future research are discussed.

"Französische Forschungen über mögliche Diskriminierungen durch polizeiliche und gerichtliche Institutionen sind erstaunlich dünn gesät, wenn man das explosive Potential dieser Frage bedenkt, das erst vor kurzem durch die Unruhen im November 2005 wieder belegt wurde. In der vorliegenden Untersuchung werden daher Hinweise auf straf- und zivilrechtliche Diskriminierungen aufgrund der ethnischen Herkunft anhand der Gruppe von Angeklagten, die sich in den Jahren 1965 bis 2005 vor einem Pariser Gericht wegen Delikten gegen Amtspersonen verantworten mussten, untersucht. Dabei zeigt sich zunächst, dass bei den Angeklagten der Gruppen 'Maghrebiner' und 'Schwarze' (nach ihren Geburtsorten und Familiennamen definiert) eine ungefähr zwei Mal so hohe Inhaftierungsquote wie bei den Angeklagten der Gruppe 'Europäer' zu finden ist, sie längere Haftstrafen ohne Bewährung bekommen und ein größeres Risiko tragen, dass ein Polizist als Nebenkläger auftritt. Multivariate Analysen weisen jedoch darauf hin, dass dieses auf verfahrenstechnische Faktoren der Gerichtsmaschinerie zurückzuführen ist, was dazu führt, dass es zu einer Überbestrafung der 'angestammten Klientel' kommt, innerhalb dessen die beiden erwähnten Gruppen überrepräsentiert sind. Dahingegen scheinen bei der Entscheidung der Polizisten, als Nebenkläger aufzutreten, Diskriminierungseffekte relevant zu sein." (Autorenreferat)

The present study examined the impact of criminal justice contact on experiences of everyday discrimination among a national sample of African American men. African American men have a high likelihood of being the targets of major discrimination as well as experiencing disproportionate contact with the criminal justice system. Few studies, however, examine everyday discrimination (e.g., commonplace social encounters of unfair treatment) among this group. Using data from the National Survey of American Life, we provide a descriptive assessment of different types of everyday discrimination among African American men. Specifically, we examined differences in everyday discrimination among men who have never been arrested, those who have been arrested but not incarcerated, and men who have a previous history of criminal justice intervention categorized by type of incarceration experienced (i.e., reform school, detention, jail, or prison). Study findings indicated overall high levels of reported everyday discrimination, with increased likelihood and a greater number of experiences associated with more serious forms of criminal justice contact. However, in many instances, there were no or few differences in reported everyday discrimination for African American men with and without criminal justice contact, indicating comparable levels of exposure to experiences with unfair treatment.