thesis statement racial profiling

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5 examples of thesis statements about racism for your next paper.

By Evans Apr 28 2021

Racism is a hot topic worldwide. It is one of the topics that never lack an audience. As expected, racism is also one of the most loved topics by teachers and even students. Therefore, it is not a surprise to be told to write an essay or a  research paper  on racism. You need to come up with several things within an incredible paper on racism, the most important one being a thesis statement. The term thesis statement sends shivers down the spine of many students. Most do not understand its importance or how to come up with a good thesis statement. Lucky for you, you have come to the right place. Here, you will learn all about  thesis statement  and get to sample a few racist thesis statements.

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Tips to writing a strong racism thesis statement

Keep it short.

A thesis statement is supposed to appear in the first paragraph of your essay. However, this does not mean that it should be the entire paragraph! A strong thesis statement should be one sentence (not an annoyingly long sentence), usually placed as the last sentence in the first paragraph.

Have a stand

A thesis statement should show what you aim to do with your paper. It should show that you are aware of what you are talking about. The thesis statement prepares the reader for what he or she is about to read. A wrong thesis statement will leave the reader of your paper unsure about your topic choice and your arguments.

Answer your research question

If you have been tasked with writing a  research paper  on why the Black Lives Matter movement has successfully dealt with racism, do not write a thesis statement giving the movement's history. Your thesis statement should respond to the research question, not any story you feel like telling. Additionally, the thesis statement is the summary of your sand and answer to the question at hand.

Express the main idea

A confused thesis statement expresses too many ideas while a strong, suitable one expresses the main idea. The thesis statement should tell the reader what your paper is all about. It should not leave the reader confused about whether you are talking about one thing or the other.

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Thesis Statements About Racism Samples

Racism in workplace thesis statement examples.

Racism is so rampant in the workplace. Thousands face discrimination daily in their workplaces. While this is definitely bad news, it gives us more data to choose from when working on an essay or research paper on racism in the workplace. Here are a few examples of thesis statements about racism in the workplace:

1.       Despite being in the The 21st century, racial discrimination is still rampant in the workplace. The efforts made by governments and world organizations have not helped to do away with this discrimination completely.

2.       Even with the unity that comes with digitalism, colour remains the one aspect of life that has continually caused a rift in this life. A lot of efforts have turned futile in the war against racism. The workplace is no exception. It is infiltrated with racial ideologies that remain within man's scope despite the professionalism within the workplace.

3.       Systemic racism is no new concept. It remains the favoured term with the tongues of many after food and rent. This is an indicator of how rooted the world is when it comes to the issue of racism. The now world has been configured to recognize racial differences and be blind to human similarity. Organizations have been established upon this social construct, and more often than it has led them into a ditch of failure. The loot that comes with racism is of great magnitude to bear.

Thesis statement about Racism in schools

Many academic institutions have been recognized for producing students who have passed with distinctions. Unfortunately, behind these overwhelming results lies a trail of many students who have suffered racism and have missed the honors board because of the color differences. Let's look at some of the examples of thesis statements on racism in schools:

1.       Merit should be the S.I unit upon which humanity is graded. Unfortunately, this is not the case, especially in schools, for the new merit score is the person's color. Many have found their way to the honour's board not because of merit but because they of the same color affiliation as the teacher.

2.       Enlightenment and civilization have found their way to the world through one important institution called schools. We owe that to it. Unfortunately, even with the height to which the world has reached civilization and enlightenment, one area has been left out and remains unaddressed- the world view of color. Despite the light and glamour, we see globally, one predominant view is called race. We continue to paint the world based on human color, even in schools.

3.       Bullying falls among the vices that have dire consequences to the victim. One of the spheres to which bullying exists is the sphere of color and race within the context of schools. Many student's confidence and esteem have been shuttered only because they are black or white. Many have receded to depression because they feel unwanted in the schools. One of the prominent times within American History is the Jim Crow Era, where racial segregation in schools within North Carolina was rampant. We saw schools have a section for white students and a separate section for black students within this era. The prevailing flag was black and white, and racism was the order of the day.

Final Thought

Coming up with a thesis statement does not have to difficult. No, not at all. Evaluate the topic or question and express yourself through the thesis statement from your stance or the answer. Mastering this one key in writing exams or assignments is one of the keys to scaling up the ladder of lucrative grades. However, practice is a discipline that will see you become a pro in writing a prolific strong, and catchy thesis statement. Henceforth, regard yourself as a pro, regard yourself as the best in thesis statement writing. If you are still having trouble with coming up with an excellent thesis statement, do not beat yourself up because of it.  Paper per hour  has the  best writers  who can help you with all your racism thesis statement needs.

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Racial Profiling Essay: Outline, Examples, & Writing Tips

Racial profiling is not uncommon. It’s incredibly offensive and unfair behavior that causes most of the protests in support of people of color. It occurs when people are suspected of committing a crime based on their skin color or ethnicity.

Unfortunately, most people are unaware that racial profiling is an everyday phenomenon that harms both the victims and society. Therefore, it’s crucial that we highlight this issue in as many ways as possible. One of the options is expressing your opinion through writing. A racial profiling essay can be inspiring and persuasive. All the power is in your hands, so let’s figure out how to use it! Keep reading this guide made by Custom-writing.org experts.

The article contains a writing guide, a collection of racial profiling essay topics, ideas, and examples, as well as the tips on making a racial profiling essay outline. We hope that it will inspire you to make an A+ argumentative racial profiling essay or even a persuasive speech on the topic!

🤔 What Is a Racial Profiling Essay about?

• 📑 Making an Outline
• 👌 Writing Tips

📝 Racial Profiling Essay Examples

🔗 references.

There is more than one objective for writing a racial profiling essay. First of all, it can be as simple as expressing your feelings about it. For example, you might consider pointing out how unfair and unjustified those actions are. Moreover, if you’re a law student, you should definitely back up those conclusions with the extractions from the Constitution.

You can then focus on describing the impact it has on society, which makes a fantastic cause and effect essay. There are so many more topic ideas, but if you’re feeling stuck, go ahead to the article’s next sections!

Argumentative Racial Profiling Essay

To write a successful argumentative racial profiling essay, you need to focus on investigating the topic to express your perspective later. Every statement you include in the main body of the writing should be supported by evidence. The essential part of such an essay is a clear thesis statement! And if you struggle to come up with a good one yourself, you can get help from a thesis statement generator online .

Persuasive Racial Profiling Essay

Unlike the type discussed above, a persuasive racial profiling essay should aim to convince your readers that your point of view is the only correct one. Instead of just presenting your point of view, you need to gather the most convincing facts that can influence your audience. It requires expertise in the topic of racial profiling.

Racial Profiling Essay Topics

Looking for a racial profiling essay topic ? Find a short and sweet topic collection below.

• The impact of racial profiling on the US society. For this essay, you would need to study how citizens react to racial profiling. You might also include some statistics from the previous years.
• Present your point of view on the issue of racial profiling. If you ever faced it yourself, your reflective essay would be even more powerful! Include as much evidence as you can.
• Racial profiling: are African Americans overreacting? Someone feels like people might be taking this issue too personally. Therefore, you should provide strong arguments to point out how discriminating those actions are.
• Accepting racial profiling as a common practice. Express your opinion on this topic. Do you think police should be legally allowed to practice racial profiling? Why would it be a violation of rights?
• Racial profiling from a psychological perspective. Try to analyze this occurrence as if you were a professional psychologist. What do you think makes law enforcement act this way?
• Does racism impact the US immigration?
• Discuss the definition and origins of racial profiling.
• Analyze the aim and values of the Black Life Matter movement.
• Racial stereotypes in Disney films.
• Examine the problem of workplace racism.
• How can racism in medicine be eliminated?
• What is the colorblind racism?
• Describe your personal experience of racism.  
• Compare the ways South Africa and the US are handling racism.
• The goals of the Black Lives Matter movement.
• Explain why racism is a persistent problem in modern society.
• Explore the concept of racial profiling in the “war on drugs.” 
• Childhood under the racist laws of apartheid in Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime .
• Discuss the effect of racism on child development.  
• Is there a racial disparity gap in healthcare?
• Describe the problems racism causes in American schools.
• How does racism affect modern society?
• Racial stereotypes in music video.  
• The pros and cons of racial profiling in the airports.
• Describe the specifics of colorblind racism.  
• Discuss the possible solutions of racial profiling problem.
• Terrorist attacs in 9/11, hate crimes, and racial profiling.
• Is institutionalized racism a real problem or a myth?
• Racial and ethnical prejudices in breast cancer treatment.
• Examine the cases of racism against healthcare workers and their consequences.
• Analyze the impact of racism on globalization .
• Describe and characterize the main types of modern racism.  
• Racial profiling of minority groups in the US.
• Is racial discrimination issue completely eliminated from American society?
• Evaluate the racial inequalities in the US judicial system.
• Describe how race relations are represented in Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward.
• Analyze the difference between individual and institutional racism.
• Investigation of the history of racism in The Case for Reparations by Coates.
• Is racial profiling a discrimination or a necessary evil?
• Ways of dealing with racism in American education. 
• Examine the history of racial stereotypes in the US.
• Explain why racial profiling is a violation of human rights.
• Catastrophic consequences of discrimination and racial prejudice in the film A Soldier’s Story . 
• Racism as a global issue.
• Discuss the causes and effects of racism in America.
• What can be done to resolve the problem of racism at interactional level?  
• Analyze the issue of racial profiling of drivers.
• Describe the problem of racism and discrimination from the perspective of social psychology.
• Discuss the methods of solving the problem of policing racism.  
• Examine the cases of racism in social work environment.

📑 Racial Profiling Essay Outline

Whichever type of racial profiling essay you choose to work on, the basic writing strategy remains the same. After you pick up the suitable title and finish your research, it’s time to reorganize the main ideas. The best way to do it is to create a racial profiling essay outline that serves as a foundation for your future essay.

There are three elements that any essay must have:

• Introduction

The main body should have at least three paragraphs in which you present your arguments supported by evidence.

Racial Profiling Essay Introduction

It is a good idea to start your essay with a hook – a statement that aims to grab your reader’s attention. In your racial profiling essay introduction, you could use some impressive statistics that illustrate the problem of racial discrimination or describe a real-life situation.

At this stage, it’s also essential that you think about composing a racial profiling thesis statement . It goes as the last sentence of the introduction and becomes the focal point of your whole writing. The thesis statement includes your opinion and a short description of your arguments.

Racial Profiling Essay Conclusion

In conclusion, you should summarize your arguments and paraphrase your racial profiling thesis statement. It is also a good idea to add some information about the most important findings. This way, your essay would be both informative and persuasive.

👌 Racial Profiling Essay: Writing Tips

Let us remind you of some basic rules you should stick to while writing:

• Introduce your position on the problem and, at least, three major points in the thesis statement of your racial profiling essay.
• Gather enough facts and pieces of evidence to support your points.
• Do not forget to study the arguments of the opposing side.

Before you get down to writing your essay on racial profiling, try to answer the following questions:

• When did racial profiling start?
• Why does it happen?
• What consequences does it lead to?

Try to find some statistical data to include in your essay on racial profiling. Be careful with sources and information. The point is that racial profiling is unconstitutional, which is why you will not find official data, something like police reports, etc. Thus, use only credible online and printed sources when writing your papers on racial profiling.

There is also a way to show your creativity in the essay on racial profiling. You may play the devil advocate’s role and support it in the paper on racial profiling. We are sure this unusual approach will impress your teacher!

Below you’ll find links to 3 racial profiling essay examples. We hope that they will inspire you to write an A+ paper on racism and discrimination.

The modern globalized society provides numerous opportunities for improved communication and increased mutual understanding. However, there are still such problems as discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, mentality, sex, or gender, biased attitudes to some minorities, and widespread stereotypical thinking.

Read the full text

The system of racism entails degrading and harmful actions and beliefs that are implemented and expressed by both groups of people. Racism over the years has been one of the reasons behind poverty and lack of access to social mobility in the United States.

Racial identity and racial socialization are proposed to promote the improvement of African American adolescents in the aspect of race-related difficulties. Current studies pointed out that discrimination is a condition that has harmful effects on the mental health of African Americans.

So, good luck with your papers on racial profiling! Do not hesitate to visit our blog if you have trouble with terrorism essays or any other written assignment.

• Racial Profiling: Definition | American Civil Liberties Union
• This is why everyday racial profiling is so dangerous – CNN
• Racial profiling – AP News
• Racial profiling: Germany debating police methods – DW
• Psychology responds to racial profiling
• Racial Profiling – Equal Justice Initiative
• Racial Profiling: Past, Present, and Future?
• Racial profiling | Independent
• Racial Profiling – University of Michigan Law School
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Hello! Just wanted to say how I’m glad to find your blog! This post is a great help for my essay on racial profiling. Thanks!

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Racial Profiling: Past, Present, and Future?

Criminal Justice, Vol. 34, p. 10, Winter 2020

U. of Pittsburgh Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2020-08

10 Pages Posted: 5 Mar 2020

David A. Harris

University of Pittsburgh - School of Law

Date Written: February 24, 2020

It has been more than two decades since the introduction of the first bill in Congress that addressed racial profiling in 1997. Between then and now, Congress never passed legislation on the topic, but more than half the states passed laws and many police departments put anti-profiling policies in place to combat it. The research and data on racial profiling has grown markedly over the last twenty-plus years. We know that the practice is real (contrary to many denials), and the data reveal racial profiling’s shortcomings and great social costs. Nevertheless, racial profiling persists. While it took root most prominently as a tactic for finding drug couriers on interstate highways and in airports, law enforcement at many levels has made use of it to combat other problems, such as terrorism and illegal immigration. This article surveys the history of racial profiling and the various efforts to take it on, and the voluminous evidence that it fails to secure public safety even as it erodes public confidence in police. It ends with ideas for sharpening efforts to bring profiling under control.

Keywords: racial profiling, profiling, race, police, law enforcement, public safety, community policing, policy, data, data collection, police behavior, crime, crime control, traffic stops, Whren v. U.S., profiling by proxy, Suspect Citizens, End Racial Profiling Act, public safety, terrorism, immigration

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University of pittsburgh - school of law ( email ).

3900 Forbes Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15260 United States

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Racial Profiling: Understand Your Topic

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Library Research Guides lead you to the best resources to use when searching for information on your topic.

Always check to see if there's a Research Guide on your topic.

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• A-Z Research Guides An A-Z list of all research guides created by Cerritos College Librarians.

Understanding Your Topic - Where to Look

Once you have chosen a topic for your paper, use general reference sources to get background information on your topic. Reference books such as the encyclopedias, dictionaries and handbooks, and the current issue titles are a good starting point for your research because they help you become better acquainted with your topic.

See the lists below for some selected reference sources available online and in print. Ask a librarian if you need help finding more resources.

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Selected Library Reference Sources - Online

Here  are some online sources available off and on campus   which can help you get background information on your topic.  

• West's Encyclopedia of American Law Provides current information on more than 5,000 legal topics. Includes completely revised articles covering important issues, biographies, definitions of legal terms and more. Covers such high-profile topics as the Americans with Disabilities Act, capital punishment, domestic violence, gay and lesbian rights, and physician-assisted suicide.
• American Law Yearbook 2007 Annual supplement to West's Encyclopedia of American Law that updates and expands the content with new topics, updates, biographies of prominent figures and government appointees, and other features.
• Minorities: Race and Ethnicity in America Examines the differences between minority groups and white Americans across the economic, political, and social spectrums. Explores the experience of African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian-Americans, and other minority groups living in the United States.
• Latino American Experience This link opens in a new window ABC-CLIO research tool for Latino American history and culture.
• Encyclopedia of drugs, alcohol & addictive behavior Explores the social, medical, legal and political issues related to drugs and alcohol and associated behaviors. Includes emerging topics and developments in the many fields of addiction studies. Search index under racial profiling.
• Encyclopedia of Race and Racism Examines the anthropological, sociological, historical, economic, and scientific theories of race and racism in the modem era. Delves into the historic origins of ideas of race and racism and explores their social and scientific consequences. Includes biographies of significant theorists, as well as political and social leaders and notorious racists. Search index under racial profiling.
• Profiling and Criminal Justice in America: A Reference Handbook Issues in criminal justice profiling -- Global perspectives on profiling -- Chronology -- Biographical sketches -- Selected cases and state statutes -- Organizations and agencies

Selected Library Reference Sources - Print

Here are some books located in the library's Reference area. Although they cannot be checked out, students are able to photocopy pages.

The Thesis Statement

Although you probably started with only a broad idea of what you wanted to write about, after testing your topic and doing background reading you should be able to narrow your focus and write your thesis statement. Here is an example of narrowing a broad topic to come up with a thesis statement:

Profiling and social progress

• If the government policy discriminates against certain groups, members of such groups will be less motivated to be good citizens, and people not in such groups may develop a distorted perception of their worth as citizens.
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Debate on the Racial Profiling in the USA Research Paper

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
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Introduction

Ever since the early civilization man has always discriminated fellow men on the basis of their color, age, gender among other many factors. In the United States of America, discrimination is more spread across the different race origins that the citizens bear.

The American population is made of people from different origins, for example, we have; the African American, Caucasians, Red Indians among others. Some races feeling superior to others have promoted discrimination for a very long period. One way through which this has been done is racial profiling (MacDonald 4).

When the color of your skin or the origin of your race is used by the law enforcing officers as a basis of suspicion of having committed particular crimes in general non suspect investigations then that can be described as racial profiling (Glaser 4). This discrimination which most of the times has been based on religion, race, ethnicity or any other special character that one may be identified with undermines the human rights and freedom of every American citizen.

It is a fact that law enforcement officers at all levels target people of certain races or ethnic groups most of the time as seen during traffic stops and inspection. For many years, Americans of African and Hispanic origins have complained of being victims of race profiling due to allegations of their likelihood of committing crimes compared to Americans of other races.

For example, allegations of racial profiling have been on the policemen who suspect African American shoppers of being petty thieves. Individuals have been subjected to racial profiling when walking or shopping, for instance, blacks are often stopped and questioned by cops if seen walking in an area assumed to be a white dominated region (Muffler 2). This has become a major issue in the United States of America some debating on its essence and why it should continue or it should stop and thus the need to look into the matter.

Current System or the Way Things Are Currently Done In Regards to Racial Profiling

In the recent years it has become a major concern to everybody on racial profiling. Laws seeking to ban racial profiling have been introduced in the congress for example

Both S. 16(Daschle) and H.R 2364(Engel), (Laney 2), contains provisions relating to racial profiling. S.16 is an “omnibus civil rights bill, which includes provisions that would express a sense of the Senate that Congress enact legislation banning racial profiling and requiring law enforcement at the federal state and local levels to prevent the practice (Muffler 3).

The HR.2364 (Engel) aims to amend immigration and nationality act by establishing a Visa Fairness Commission to collect data on the ongoing racial profiling in the American Embassies and with the US border inspectors. The law enforcement departments have been accused of practicing racial profiling in their aim of controlling two vices: preventing the illicit drugs activities and containing terrorism threats.

Many Americans disapprove traffic stops but when terrorism investigations are the claims of making the stops, then the Americans have no problem in allowing the vice to continue. The fact that the bombings of September 2001 were carried by attackers of Arab origin, other Arab citizens living in the country whether innocent or guilty have been faced with adverse cases of racial profiling;

“50% Americans responding to a poll supported the laws requiring Arabs including those who are U.S. citizens to carry a special ID” (Muffler 6).

Another study carried in the country by the Opinion Dynamics showed that “54% of American citizens approved the use of racial profiling to screen Arab-male airline passengers. While in another carried by Cornell University “68% responded to racial profiling as a tool of fighting terrorism” (Muffler 6).

Thus, race profiling is within many American citizens and any bid to eliminate the vice is expected to face all sorts of challenges. While all the claims about Muslims and their relation to terrorism might be true, it is worthy noting that terrorists of Middle East (as they are usually faced with higher risks of racial profiling) background could have migrated to Germany, England or any other country and thus racial profiling by use of the geographical factors is also not bound to work.

The extent of racial profiling has been studied in some states, for example, in the Arizona Sentinel Investigation of all the vehicles which were stopped in the interstate highway in Florida, “While nearly 705 of the vehicles stopped belonged to the blacks and Hispanic, only a small 5% of the drivers were from the minor communities” (Muffler 7).

Racial profiling violates the individual constitutional rights as stated in the supreme constitution of the United States of America. The fourth amendment of the United States of America protects every American citizen against any unreasonable searches and seizures (Kops 72) while the Fifth Amendment protects against discrimination based on ethnicity, race or nation of origin as experienced in racial profiling cases (Rezmovic & Ekstrands 3).

The fourteenth amendment of the constitution goes further and protects all American citizens by ensuring that they are provided with equal security and protection by the country laws thus those practicing racial profiling should be made aware that the constitution bars them from doing so.

Why do you think racial profiling is unjust? Who suffers? Who benefits? Why is that unfair?

Racial profiling is in no doubt unjust as it favors one group of people over the other. It is both wrong and ineffective on those who uses and for those who are subjected to. That is why racial profiling should be banned whether in fighting drugs or terrorism. It is important to note that it is not a race or ethnicity which commits a crime rather it is an individual people who commits the crimes and thus judge the people individually and not linking a whole group to the acts.

Blacks have often been suspected of committing crimes more than other races thus faces more cases of racial profiling but the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) argues against racial profiling by stating that while blacks may be responsible for a higher percentage of crimes committed within an area it does not mean that majority of blacks population should be held responsible for the crimes.

Another case which makes racial profiling unjust is that certain communities are overly policed, unjustly scrutinized, and disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system while individually they might not have committed any crime.

These victims of racial profiling have their liberty interests taken from them. They are stopped, searched, arrested, subjected to unwarranted force, detained in custody and in the most extreme cases, shot, tortured or killed as a result of being ill-perceived as a serious threat” (Sandborn, Bahdi, & Parsons 2).

Racial profiling also promotes cynicism about law enforcement and the judicial system amongst members of communities who are subjected to racial profiling thus decreasing the probability of citizen co-operation with law enforcers for legitimate investigations.

The only claimed benefit to racial profiling is that the authorities are able to narrow their investigations down to certain characteristics within a certain race of a given suspect incase they have a reliable information connecting to a certain crime which was committed somewhere rather than stopping and questioning every individual who passes through a police check (Korobkin 24).

A Legal Approach Would Entail On Making Policing a More Informative and Responsive Process Would Be My Approach towards Solving Racial Profiling

Increasing the available information to the police can be a solution towards eliminating or reducing cases of racial profiling in the United States of America. With adequate information the police can be able to monitor and pin point the hot spots where much police presence and patrols are needed. Laws and legislations passed against racial profiling has been a major incentive to the adoption of technology by most law enforcers in order to change their approaches towards traffic stops.

Once information is collected by the police for example about a crime committed somewhere and the details made public this creates a warning system to the people and incase the police may stop you according to the details already given in the public domain then no one will complain of discrimination or racial profiling.

However, this data should always be authenticated by the authorities to prevent chances of circulating the wrong information to the public thus making wrong traffic stops leading to increased racial profiling within the country.

By the police making the information public, this would allow them to announce what their plans are and it can help in building trust between the public and the police. To end racial profiling, the police departments should be made to release all the relevant information that can be meaningful to communities and target groups. This information should be aggregated according to the interest groups addressing the systemic problems while much information should be released according to the individual characteristics.

Engaging with the public is also another strategy through which the police can gather information from the public and this can help them in understanding how the community feels and what needs to be done to ensure cases of racial profiling are reduced. The rigid supervisory techniques used by the police should be dropped and a more respectful and participatory approach adopted by the police as they seek for information during traffic stops.

How Would You Combat Those Arguments Supporting Racial Profiling?

For those who supports racial profiling the following are the simple facts that they should note about racial profiling. Racial profiling can be used as a tool to distract law enforcers from gaining access information through better approaches, for example, the law enforcers should focus on the suspicious behaviors which should lead to arrests rather than basing their focus on race.

Racial profiling also prevents the cops from serving the entire community due to the fact that it sends a message that a certain race can be trusted more than the other and other races are viewed more as criminals than normal citizens.

This can lead to the less scrutinized race taking advantage of the situation and committing crime. Another weak factor about racial profiling is that it leads to communities and law enforcers not cooperating in containing crime in an area since the communities are already aware that the police are biased against them (Hunter 16).

More than often racial profiling is likely to lead to riots as reports of discrimination and torture of suspects goes round in the society the community is likely to riot against the practice. Finally, not only is racial profiling morally wrong but it is also against the supreme constitution of the United States of America, which under the 14 th amendment states that people within the jurisdiction of the country should not be denied equal protection of the laws.

Works Cited

Glaser, Jack. “The Efficacy and Effect of Racial Profiling: A Mathematical Modeling Approach.” Goldman School of Public Policy University of California, Berkeley , 2003. Web.

Hunter, David Jr. An Analysis of Racial Profiling and the Consequences of Profiling Based Upon Race . Michigan: University of Michigan-Flint Department of Public Safety. 2003.

Kops, Deborah. Racial Profiling, 21 st Edition. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2006.

Korobkin, Daniel. “Racial Profiling: A New Challenge in Public Policy.” Public Policy Concentration Thesis, 2002. Web.

Laney, Garrine. “Racial Profiling: Issues and Federal Legislative Proposals and Options.” CRS Report for Congress , 2004. Web.

MacDonald, Heather. “ The Myth of Racial Profiling .” The Manhattan Institute, 2001. Web.

Muffler, Stephen. Racial Profiling: Issues, Data and Analyses. New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc. 2006.

Rezmovic L Evi & Ekstrand E. Laurie. Racial Profiling: Limited Data On Available On Motorists Stop . New York: Diane Publishing, 2000.

Sandborn, Tom; Parsons Olanyi; & Bahdi Reem. “ Racial Profiling Position Paper .” Civil Liberties Association, 2009. Web.

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Psychology responds to racial profiling

More psychologists are utilizing their unique skills to help communities, law enforcement and government officials understand racial profiling.

By EILEEN O'CONNOR

Monitor Staff

May 2001, Vol 32, No. 5

• Race and Ethnicity

With the Bush administration citing racial profiling as a priority, conversations about the need to make the law truly colorblind are increasingly audible. From an empirical standpoint, however, the mental health impact of racial profiling--defined as police or security officials' illicit reliance upon racial stereotypes to target, search or detain people for criminal activity--remains yet unknown.

But psychologists are closing in on this knowledge gap, working to identify and help heal the social chasms and emotional scars. Ways psychologists are bolstering their efforts to address racial profiling will be the focus of the APA Annual Convention symposium "Racial profiling: a psychological exploration," which will take place on Friday, Aug. 24, from 10 to 11:50 a.m.

APA's Committee on Urban Initiatives has assembled a diverse panel to bring policy, research, intervention and law-enforcement perspectives to the discussion of the roles psychologists can play in heightening awareness and ending racial profiling.

The need for psychologists

From the university to Capitol Hill, from community workers to clinical psychologists, "racial profiling is a problem all of us can have a role in solving," says symposium discussant Ellen Scrivner, PhD, deputy director at the U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services Office.

"Racial profiling can't be solved in a vacuum," she says, "and thus we will have all facets of psychology and law enforcement at the table."

Indeed, Purdue University psychology professor David Rollock, PhD, who chaired a symposium on racial profiling last year, says there are many empty seats at that table that psychologists can fill by:

Gathering epidemiological data and clinical anecdotes that define symptoms in the aftermath of racial profiling.

Collaborating with law enforcement officials and community workers to evaluate how racial profiling affects the communities they serve.

Categorizing law and security enforcement misconduct so that intervention efforts can be better targeted.

Enhancing police training with respect to cultural competence.

Psychologists' statistical skills, for example, can improve data collection on police traffic stops, currently a leading prescription for curbing racial profiling. "We can help rectify the lack of an adequate baseline for comparing car stops," Scrivner says.

The importance of balancing such fine points with an understanding of the consequences of racial profiling will be discussed at the symposium by Tom Tyler, PhD, of New York University. His contribution, "Understanding how citizens view police behavior," will focus on "how damaging it is for a minority person to be stopped because of race, and how it hurts relations between police and the minority community," he says.

Tyler perceives that the balance of power so evident in racial profiling can lead to a vicious cycle of mistrust and violence. "If someone is stopped for a minor reason that they attribute to their race," he explains, "they may become defiant, hostility escalates and the police could even end up killing someone."

Subsequently, the swelling tide of mutual suspicion makes crime prevention more difficult for police. "How the police can create trust and communicate fairness is something psychologists can research," says Tyler.

Psychology tackles the tough questions

Proponents of allowing race to be factor in whether to search an individual say their positions are justified by crime statistics. But distinctions between what numbers really mean, and could faultily infer, easily are blurred, says Tyler. For example, he says, although race itself does not predict being a criminal, "poverty predicts being a criminal and minorities are more likely to be poor."

Psychologists, with their understandings of both statistical and behavioral analyses, are needed to clarify such nuances. Symposium speaker Jennifer Eberhardt, PhD, of Stanford University, will address this area in her presentation, "The faces of criminality." Eberhardt studies the correlation between racially stereotypical features and perceptions of criminality, especially among African-American faces.

Racial assumption is an area ripe for social psychologists like Eberhardt. "We can offer a more thorough analysis of attitudes and perceptions--attack it and make progress on a variety of levels," she says.

On the public policy level, for example, Natacha Blain, JD, PhD, counsel to U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin (D­Ill.), will offer the symposium her insights on prospective mandates to effect nondiscriminatory law enforcement nationwide in "Racial profiling: a public policy perspective."

Attendees will also hear from law enforcement itself: San Francisco Police Chief Fred Lau will explain how psychologists are helping his department safeguard against racial profiling in "How psychologists can help law enforcement."

This intermingling of psychology, policy and law enforcement promises to create a comprehensive vision of how these groups can collaborate to alleviate racial profiling. "This symposium will be of value to both our colleagues in psychology and those with an interest in police integrity," says symposium chair Roderick Watts, PhD, of Georgia State University. "It will remind our colleagues of how the field can aid in the understanding and amelioration of social problems, while leaders in law enforcement will see how the skills of psychologists go far beyond psychological testing and screening."

Further Reading

The pending bills addressing racial profiling, the Traffic Stops Study Act (S. 821) and the Reasonable Search Standards Act (S. 2393), were read twice in the 106th Congress and respectively referred to the Judiciary and Finance committees. Find their updated histories at www.congress.gov.

The American Civil Liberties Union has comprehensive information on racial profiling, including special reports and campaign details, at www.aclu.org/profiling/index.html .

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Free Racial Profiling Essay Example, with Outline

Published by gudwriter on May 25, 2018 May 25, 2018

A racial profiling essay may require a student, among other things, to discuss the origin, prevalence or effects of racial profiling in a given country. If you need help with history homework or need additional help, we have experienced and qualified history experts who specialize in subjects such as art history, European history and world history. Contact us today and get professional help.

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Here is a sample essay that discusses racial profiling in the United States.

Racial Profiling Essay Outline

Introduction.

Thesis: Racial profiling is not only morally and ethically wrong but also legally condemned in the American constitution.

Paragraph 1:

According to the United States Constitution, every American citizen regardless of their race have equal protection under the law and protected against any unreasonable searches and seizures.

• Racial profiling tends to create a form of alienation of specific groups from law enforcers, inhibits community policing efforts, and leads to a lack of trust of law enforcers among the general community who they are sworn to protect and serve.
• Racial profiling goes against the sworn duty of law enforcers of protect and serve all American citizens despite their religion, what they look like, or their religion.

Paragraph 2:

The issue of racial profiling affects different communities of color.

• One of the most affected group has been African-Americans who have had to endure more than two hundred years of slavery and more than ninety years of legalized racial segregation leading to systematic profiling of blacks.
• The most recent case was the one that involved George Floyd, an African-American who died in the hands of the police while being arrested.

Paragraph 3:

Noteworthy, the violent attacks often meted out on the blacks by the police cannot be related to any situation that the group faced in the past.

• Most of the time, blacks have protested by organizing peaceful demonstrations and attacking symbols of the state.
• The George Floyd’s case attracted mass protests and demonstrations across the entire United States.

Paragraph 4:

It is morally wrong to judge an individual based on their physical characteristics.

• According to experts, judging an individual based on their physical traits is a major factor of racial profiling.
• A group of Americans prescribe to the idea that racial profiling is an effective tool in safeguarding security and punishing illegality.
• Critics argue that racial profiling does more harm than good to the affected groups and cannot be a solution towards the problems facing the US.
• For instance, on the issue of illegal immigration, although racial profiling is considered a solution by many it cannot be a systematic solution to the crisis of porous borders.
• Racial profiling leads to production of a sense of exclusion, alienation and fear among the targeted groups.

Paragraph 5:

Racial profiling violates and ignores the foundation of the American spirit and rule of law.

• In a fundamental sense, racial profiling tends to consider a group of Americans as ’not fully Americans’ and puts them under a continuous trial.
• Racial profiling intensifies and despises people of color in many aspects of life where lawful American citizens who are legally Americans are considered as half Americans or aliens in their neighborhoods.

In summary, racial profiling is legally and ethically wrong. The American Constitution stipulates that every American citizen has equal rights regardless of their race, sex, gender, and nationality. Racial profiling goes against this stipulation by painting a specific group of people as potential enemies.

Free Racial Profiling Essay Example

In the 21st century, there is a common argument that the United States is going through a post-racial era. That is, the country is going through a period where it is free from racial segregation and all other ills that come with the vice. However, the issue of racial profiling has continued to be an enormous social stigma for a select few American nationals. Defined, racial profiling is a general phrase referring to the practice of suspecting or targeting people from a particular race on the basis of observed characteristics or behavior rather than on individual behavior. In spite of the claim that the U.S. is enjoying a post-racial era, racial profiling continues to occur. Racial profiling is not only morally and ethically wrong but also legally condemned by the American constitution.

According to the United States Constitution, every American citizen regardless of their race has equal protection under the law and is protected against any unreasonable searches and seizures. Inasmuch as racial profiling is largely ineffective, it tends to create some form of alienation of specific groups by law enforcers, inhibits community policing efforts, and leads to a lack of trust of law enforcers among the general society which they are sworn to protect and serve. It is without a doubt that a government through the police force has a general duty to protect citizens while promoting fairness and justice (Zack, 2015). However, practicing racial profiling goes against this sworn duty leading to fear among citizens who are condemned due to what they look like, their origins, or the religions they subscribe to among others.

The issue of racial profiling affects different communities of color. One of the most affected groups has been African-Americans who have had to endure more than two hundred years of slavery and more than ninety years of legalized racial segregation leading to their systematic profiling. As noted by Butler (2017), not for one minute in the history of America has there been peace between African-Americans and law enforcers. In the recent past, there have been cases where the police resort to violence when arresting blacks. The most recent case was the one that involved George Floyd , an African-American who died in the hands of the police while being arrested. From the video footage of the incidence, the suspect had already complied with the police but was still chocked to death by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer (Hill et al., 2020). Not even the “I can’t breathe” pleas from the poor man could save him from death in the hands of the four white police officers.

Noteworthy, the violent attacks often meted out on the blacks by the police cannot be related to any situation that the group faced in the past, not even the Jim Crow segregation , the lynching, the restrictive covenants in housing, or the New Deal programs (Butler, 2017). Most of the time, blacks have protested by organizing peaceful demonstrations and attacking symbols of the state. Another group that has been a significant target of racial profiling are the Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians. The group has been profiled by individuals working in airlines, Federal law enforcement officers, and local police. The George Floyd’s case, as already described, attracted mass protests and demonstrations across the entire United States. People, including African-Americans, Caucasians, and people of color organized demonstrations to protest the inhumane racially-instigated act by the police officers. Some of these demonstrations even turned violent and culminated in looting sprees by demonstrators. This single act of racial profiling bordered on racism and even parked protests across the world, led by the Black Lives Matter movement. The world stood together with Americans against what intentional disregard for African-American lives.

It is morally wrong to judge an individual based on their physical characteristics. According to experts, judging an individual based on their physical traits is a significant factor of racial profiling. Nonetheless, there exists a group of American citizens who consider racial profiling as a useful tool in ensuring security and punishing illegality. On the other hand, some critics posit that racial profiling does more harm than good to the affected groups and cannot be a solution towards the problems facing the U.S. On the issue of illegal or undocumented immigration, racial profiling is considered a solution by many, but it cannot be a systematic solution to the crisis of porous borders (Chacón & Coutin, 2018). In its entirety, the issue of racial profiling towards solving the problem of terrorism and illegality overlooks an acute moral issue. By marking specific groups as targets or a source of threats, racial profiling goes a long way in putting many innocent citizens under pervasive scrutiny. In the process, there is a production of a sense of exclusion, alienation, and fear among the targeted groups.

Racial profiling further violates and ignores the foundation of the American spirit and the rule of law. In a fundamental sense, the practice tends to consider a group of Americans as ‘not fully Americans’ and puts them under a continuous trial. It is a devastating force that tends to put the affected group into a devastating psychological and physical harm. Therefore, it is morally wrong and should be condemned and unequivocally rejected by all means possible. It is crucial to pinpoint that racial profiling is not only practiced by law enforcers but also the public. That is, the public tends to paint a particular group of individuals as potential enemies or criminals based on their race, way of dressing, and culture. The practice thus despises people of color in many aspects of life as lawful citizens who are legally American are considered as half Americans or aliens in their own country.

Racial profiling is legally and ethically wrong. The American Constitution stipulates that every American citizen has equal rights regardless of their race, sex, gender, and nationality. Racial profiling goes against this stipulation by painting a specific group of people as potential enemies. The practice is also ethically and morally wrong since it characterized by judging an individual based on their looks and generalizing that opinion on every member of the group or race. The American government should thus actively engage in strategies that are aimed at combating terrorism and illegality without resorting to racial discrimination and profiling.

Butler, P. (2017, August 11). “ US justice is built to humiliate and oppress black men. And it starts with the chokehold”. The Guardian. Retrieved June 30, 2020 from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/11/chokehold-police-black-men-paul-butler-race-america

Chacón, J. M., & Coutin, S. B. (2018). Racialization through enforcement.  Race, Criminal Justice, and Migration Control: Enforcing the Boundaries of Belonging , 159.

Hill, E., Tiefenthäler, A., Triebert, C., Jordan, D., Willis, H., & Stein, R. (2020). “How George Floyd was killed in police custody”. The New York Times . Retrieved June 30, 2020 from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/george-floyd- i nvestigation.html

Zack, N. (2015).  White privilege and black rights: the injustice of US police racial profiling and homicide . Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

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