Op-Ed

pdf

School

University of Guelph *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

3710

Subject

Sociology

Date

Apr 3, 2024

Type

pdf

Pages

Uploaded by PrivateHarePerson234

The Perpetuation of Injustice; Black Youth in the Canadian Justice System Word Count: 1082 SOC 3710

1 In the Canadian justice system, Black youth are severely overrepresented, which is an ongoing urgent issue that requires systemic change and attention. The overrepresentation in Canada's judicial system is a result of systemic racism that has oppressed generations. Systematic racism refers to policies and practices that are present throughout an entire society or organization, perpetuating and resulting in unjust and harmful behaviour towards a group of people based on their race. Although they experience comparable, if not more severe, mental and physical difficulties than any other youth group, black youth face greater barriers to obtaining healthcare due to their race. Yet their access to healthcare is not prioritized, which is a major reason for their unfairly rising incarceration risks. When communities with limited resources lack access to healthcare, their living conditions deteriorate and a number of negative effects, including increased crime, may occur. Black youth in Canada are not provided with equal access to mental health resources, resulting in a lack of knowledge and tools. It is likely that Black youth do not receive care unless they are either already involved with the legal system or exhibit severe enough symptoms to require intensive intervention. This is because Black youth have disproportionately less access to mental healthcare through both judicial and emergency care routes (Fante-Coleman and Jackson-Best, 2020). If the system only provides Black youth with mental healthcare when they are pushed to the point of needing it, then how are they expected to resolve their struggles on their own without support or education?

2 Youth, who express concerns about the routine criminalization and stigmatizing of Black masculinity and demand access to upward mobility, undermine our understanding of an inclusive Canadian society. The perception of Canadian society is built on the assumption of a shared set of values by conveying their fragile life experiences as distinct from those of other Canadians (Davis 2017). Essentially, black people in Canada are not prioritized in our healthcare system, specifically concerning mental health support. Because it is not in line with the preconceived notions of Canadian society, Highly disadvantaged neighbourhoods frequently exhibit elevated levels of health-related risk factors, such as violent crime, as well as lower prevalence of protective factors, such as collective efficacy. These neighbourhoods typically contain fewer health-related organizations, non-profits, schools, and businesses, all of which impact collective youth health. As a result, residents of disadvantaged neighbourhoods in particular must travel outside, often to more affluent areas to access these services (Pinchak et al., 2022). Numerous and intricate factors contribute to the overrepresentation of Black youth in Canada's criminal justice system. The over-policing of Black communities, which has been well-documented, is a major contributing cause. Black teenagers are frequently the targets of racial profiling, stop-and-search tactics, and harassment by police, all of which result in minor offence arrests. Thus, race is relevant, in the Canadian context, when examining how young people view the police. These narratives suggest that Black youth feel the police view them as criminals even when engaged in normal, everyday activities. These perceptions are established through racial profiling experiences that truly erode trust and confidence in the police within the Black community (Samuels-Wortley 2021). The perpetual criminalization of Black youth and excessive policing within predominantly black communities leads to a vicious cycle. This cycle

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

3 has created a hierarchy within the legal system that has created a "master status," which has a significant impact on how the authorities assess a person's personality, and likelihood to commit a crime (Tanner, 2015). When someone is born into a status such as being black, their race defines how society will perceive them and their actions before they can even try to defend themselves. The life-course perspective acknowledges the relationship between significant life events, such as involvement with the criminal justice system, and life-course trajectories. This phenomenon has been linked to other unfavourable outcomes, such as incarceration, arrest, and future offending (Hemez et al., 2019). The systemic racism and discrimination that Black youth experience in other spheres of their lives, such as education, jobs, and housing, is an additional factor in their risk of being incarcerated. These elements may perpetuate societal exclusion and poverty, which can encourage criminal activity. For example, in The Toronto Community Housing Corporation, living conditions are similar in structure to prison as they both have rooms, floors, and apartments where there is little room between neighbours and inmates (Crichlow, 2014). Additionally, there is no effective rehabilitation, there is ineffective care for physical disabilities and there are elements of the gang subculture and violence. Lastly, there is limited access to services, fresh food and groceries, and simultaneously there are state social and structural issues (Crichlow, 2014). Black youth are inherently devalued, and punished for their behaviours, which are frequently cries for help for their complex needs and ways of guaranteeing safety and well-being for themselves. This continues to be an issue even if the child welfare system intervenes for the

4 safety and well-being of young people (Edwards et al., 2022) Issues in school can simultaneously lead to the incarceration of black youth too, through the school-to-prison pipeline. Suspension from school acts as a negative turning point that puts young people at a much higher risk of going to jail as they enter adulthood (Hemez et al., 2019). Black students make up only about 12 percent of high school students in the Toronto public school board, yet they account for more than 31 percent of all suspensions (Crichlow 2014). This shows how black youth are predominantly targeted for in-school suspensions, which increases their risk of future incarceration. Numerous studies regarding youth demonstrate that there is a connection between labelling and illegal behaviour; thus, the characterization of being a criminal is internalized, which increases the chance that one will pursue a deviant lifestyle (Samuels-Wortley, 2019). In all, it is clear this disproportionate presence of black youth in the Canadian Justice System is a result of the systemic racism that has pervaded Canada's judicial system throughout history. Effective training is one method for the community to prepare law enforcement to resolve the significant gaps in social services and residents' lack of access to essential social services including family therapy, intensive in-home therapy, safe schools, and access to food and shelter (Mehari et al., 2021). In order to make sure that these efforts are successful in reducing the overrepresentation of Black youth in Canada's justice system, continuous tracking and evaluation of these efforts are necessary. The judicial system's perspective on juvenile justice needs to change. For young people who interact with the justice system, rehabilitation and support should be prioritized over a punitive strategy. Programs for diversion, restorative justice procedures, and accessibility to mental health resources and other forms of support should all be included.

5 Bibliography Crichlow, W. (2014). Weaponization and prisonization of Toronto’s black male youth. International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, 3(3), 113–131. https://doi.org/10.5204/ijcjsd.v3i3.120 Davis, A. (2017). “The Real Toronto”: Black Youth Experiences and the Narration of the Multicultural City. Journal of Canadian Studies, 51(3), 725–748. https://doi.org/10.3138/jcs.2017-0039.r1 Edwards, T., King, B., Risidore, J., & Parada, H. (2022). Many households but never a home: stories of resistance from Black youth navigating placement instability in Ontario’s child welfare system. Journal of Youth Studies, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2022.2080539 Fante-Coleman, T., & Jackson-Best, F. (2020). Barriers and Facilitators to Accessing Mental Healthcare in Canada for Black Youth: A Scoping Review. Adolescent Research Review, 5(2), 115–136. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40894-020-00133-2 Hemez, Paul, John J. Brent, and Thomas J. Mowen. 2019. “Exploring the School-to-Prison Pipeline: How School Suspensions Influence Incarceration During Young Adulthood.” Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, online first:1-21. Mehari, K. R., Rodgers, C. R. R., Blanton, M. A., & Turner, L. A. (2021). Evaluation of a police training on de-escalation with trauma-exposed youth. International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 66, 100491–. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlcj.2021.100491 Pinchak, N. P., Browning, C. R., Calder, C. A., & Boettner, B. (2022). Racial Inequalities in Adolescents’ Exposure to Racial and Socioeconomic Segregation, Collective Efficacy, and Violence. Demography, 59(5), 1763–1789. https://doi.org/10.1215/00703370-10210688

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

6 Samuels-Wortley, K. (2021). To Serve and Protect Whom? Using Composite Counter-Storytelling to Explore Black and Indigenous Youth Experiences and Perceptions of the Police in Canada. Crime and Delinquency, 67(8), 1137–1164. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128721989077 Samuels-Wortley, K. (2019). “Youthful Discretion: Police Selection Bias in Access to Pre-Charge Diversion Programs in Canada.” Race and Justice, online first:1-24 Tanner, J. (2015). Teenage Troubles: Youth and Deviance in Canada. Oxford University Press, pp. 93-115.

7 Meme:

Related Documents

Critical reflection.docx

ESSAY 6 - 2121.docx

CNL-540 Topic 4.pdf

Theoretical Paper.docx

Social inequality and Social Movements Paper.docx

SOC313 Parkinsons Disease Case Upload.doc

Understanding Criminology_Questionnaire.docx

Matt__Murphy_SCS_200__Applied_Social_Sciences (6).docx

Matt__Murphy_SCS_200__Applied_Social_Sciences (3).docx

Matt__Murphy_SCS_200__Applied_Social_Sciences (2).docx

Matt__Murphy_SCS_200__Applied_Social_Sciences (8).docx

WK2Assgn_Lane_E.docx

Recommended textbooks for you

Social Psychology (10th Edition)

Sociology

ISBN:9780134641287

Author:Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers

Publisher:Pearson College Div

Introduction to Sociology (Eleventh Edition)

Sociology

ISBN:9780393639407

Author:Deborah Carr, Anthony Giddens, Mitchell Duneier, Richard P. Appelbaum

Publisher:W. W. Norton & Company

The Basics of Social Research (MindTap Course Lis...

Sociology

ISBN:9781305503076

Author:Earl R. Babbie

Publisher:Cengage Learning

Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Scien...

Sociology

ISBN:9780134477596

Author:Saferstein, Richard

Publisher:PEARSON

Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach (13th Edition)

Sociology

ISBN:9780134205571

Author:James M. Henslin

Publisher:PEARSON

Society: The Basics (14th Edition)

Sociology

ISBN:9780134206325

Author:John J. Macionis

Publisher:PEARSON

SEE MORE TEXTBOOKS

Recommended textbooks for you

Social Psychology (10th Edition)
Sociology
ISBN:9780134641287
Author:Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers
Publisher:Pearson College Div
Introduction to Sociology (Eleventh Edition)
Sociology
ISBN:9780393639407
Author:Deborah Carr, Anthony Giddens, Mitchell Duneier, Richard P. Appelbaum
Publisher:W. W. Norton & Company
The Basics of Social Research (MindTap Course Lis...
Sociology
ISBN:9781305503076
Author:Earl R. Babbie
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Scien...
Sociology
ISBN:9780134477596
Author:Saferstein, Richard
Publisher:PEARSON
Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach (13th Edition)
Sociology
ISBN:9780134205571
Author:James M. Henslin
Publisher:PEARSON
Society: The Basics (14th Edition)
Sociology
ISBN:9780134206325
Author:John J. Macionis
Publisher:PEARSON