Black Americans’ mistrust of the criminal justice system
Views about the intentions of the U.S. criminal justice system have their roots in key events in the 20th century.
In the convict-leasing and chain gang systems of the early 1900s, Black men were forced to build roads, bridges and ditches as part of their incarceration. This new infrastructure improved the business prospects of rural planters throughout the South.
And in the 1990s, the CIA released a report about its role in the inner-city cocaine epidemic of the 1980s and early ’90s. While the agency denied that it was directly involved, it admitted that addressing drug activity in their Central American operations was not among its priorities.
These events provide some context for Black Americans’ beliefs about the intentions of the nation’s criminal justice system.
Kiana Cox June 15, 2024
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