The aim of this essay is to examine and discover whether people are treated .
differently based on the colour of their skin within the criminal justice system. Are .
ethnic groups such as African, Asian and Caribbean at greater risk of being victimised .
by the police and are these ethnic minorities facing longer sentences in the courts. It is .
common fact that people have different experiences of the criminal justice system .
depending on their ethnic origins, for example Black people are four times more .
likely to be stopped and searched by the police than a white .
person in Britain today (Home office statistics 2000).
Is this because Black people are more likely to be criminals or is it because .
they are being targeted and labelled as a dangerous threat to the rest of society by .
racist institutions such as the police? Box (1983) wrote "the concept of power is .
central to the process of criminalisation", the criminal justice system has the power to .
criminalize certain people more than others.
It is important to first look back at the historical context. The history of race and .
ethics is rooted in the period of European imperialism, the rise of capitalism, .
transatlantic slave trade and European enlightenment. The race idea is a key part of .
Enlightenment metaphysics, ethics and science. Eze (1997) argues that "this age of .
reason was predicted upon the assumption that "reason" could only historically only .
come to maturity in Europe, this is a very important", Eze is stating that people .
outside modern Europe were considered to be less evolved. .
Enlightenment philosophers codified and institutionalised both scientific and .
popular concepts of race, articulating Europe's sense of cultural and racial .
superiority. From this perspective, "reason" and "civilisation" became almost .
synonymous with white people and Northern Europe, while unreason and .
savagery were located among non-whites outside Europe (Eze 1997:5).
