The United States of America has a massive prison population with high incarceration rates. The rates of imprisonment are more prominent in African-Americans and other people of color than in the majority white population. This year, there were massive demonstrations against police brutality in various cities after George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was killed by a Minneapolis police officer. Such protests are not a recent phenomenon since the United States has experienced them several times in the past decades. Therefore, an elaborate reform of the criminal justice system is necessary because racially discriminatory acts against Blacks have a long history indicating an ongoing systemic issue.
A progressive change of the United States’ drug policy is a fundamental step in the restoration of the criminal justice system. One of the leading causes of the rapid increase in the prison population over the past decades was the Reagan Era change in drug policy enacted to combat a drug epidemic in the country. The police disproportionately arrested Black men and other people of color during this period. Even after various states legalized the use of Marijuana in recent years, inmates detained due to the possession of the drug are still serving long sentences. For there to be a long-standing change in the criminal justice system, a rethinking of the discriminatory drug policy is required.
A transformation in the policing of communities is also essential in achieving a better criminal justice system. Police officers need to be trained better in dealing with unarmed citizens without resorting to lethal weapons. The issue of police officers’ use of fatal force against unarmed African-Americans has led to many demonstrations against police brutality, but with little change. The conviction rates of the officers accused of cruelty remain low. Bringing the officers accused of misconduct to justice is the first step in regaining trust from the Black community and initiating a drastic reform in the criminal justice system.
To sum up, the United States of America requires the remodeling of its criminal justice system. One of the primary reasons for that is the fact that the Black community bears the brunt of the unfairness of the current system. Measures that can make it better, such as a change in the drug laws and an accountable police force, will substantially improve the lives of members of the country’s Black community.