Racial Discrimination in UK Criminal Justice

Racial Discrimination in UK Criminal Justice A growing awareness of the systemic and institutional biases built into the criminal justice system has given rise to much research focused on the specific types of inequalities produced. From the disproportionate incarceration of particular groups, to law enforcement measures designed to target specific communities, the criminal justice system in the U.K. has faced a growing number of criticisms related to its perpetuation of discrimination based on race. In this essay, I review and evaluate the evidence on whether there exists widespread racial discrimination in the U.K.s criminal justice system (CJS). First, a review of the historical context is presented, followed by a discussion of some of the major challenges identified in the CJS with respect to racial discrimination and bias. The problem of overrepresentation is then reviewed, followed by a focused discussion of how discrimination manifests in U.K. criminal justice institutions. It is argued that despite important reforms and some progress having been made, racial discrimination remains embedded in U.K. CJS institutions, and can be seen across multiple levels of operation, including search, arrest, prosecution, and sentencing. Historical Context A review of the historical context in Britain is helpful for understanding the current challenges related to discrimination in the countrys CJS, as well as more longstanding issues related to racial discrimination across the U.K. overall. Perhaps the most flagrant example of racial discrimination on the part of the police has been illustrated in historical use of the so-called sus law. Officially, the sus law was a term to refer to Section 4 of the Vagrancy Act (Cloake and Tudor, 2001). This section of the Vagrancy Act, first passed in 1824, was a popular tool used by police in Britain to routinely arrest young men of colour, absent any evidence of their having committed a crime (Cloake and Tudor, 2001). Thanks to its widespread abuse, the law was eventually struck down in the 1970s (Cloake and Tudor, 2001). Police often used the law to justify the arrest of any young black man they deemed suspicious (Cloake and Tudor, 2001). The law served to create mistrust between Britains black c ommunities and police, and would eventually culminate in widespread rioting during the 1980s (Denham, 2007). Besides the use of the sus law to unfairly target young men of colour, media coverage of certain social phenomena have functioned to construct black communities as in a state of disorder, and being prone to crime (Rowe, 2012). Black and minority ethnic (BME) communities, along with young Muslim men, in particular, have traditionally been otherised in the mainstream media and depicted as a criminal threat (Rowe, 2012). The notion that young men in these communities constitute an inherent gang threat has also been depicted in various media portrayals (Rowe, 2012). For example, during the Milltown disorders in 2001, the media constructed Asian immigrant communities as inherently criminal, and as posing a growing threat (Rowe, 2012). The Milltown disorders have been cited as a prime example of conflict between different racial groups in contemporary Britain (Keith, 2008). Explanations put forward for the unrest have included poor engagement between the community and the police (Rowe, 201 2). Media coverage and police discrimination have intersected to increase the divide between visible minority and majority communities in Britain. Over time, the recognition of certain longstanding tensions and difficulties between racialized communities and the police in Britain has helped lead to efforts designed to uncover root causes of problems. Following a series of serious riots in Brixton in 1981, the government ordered an inquest to understand the root cause of the unrest (Ponsaers and Devroe, 2012). The inquiry was led by Lord Scarman, and the inquest would eventually produce the Scarman Reports (Ponsaers and Devroe, 2012). These reports detailed the complex interplay of economic, social, and political forces involved in riots and unrest (Ponsaers and Devroe, 2012). Lord Scarman advanced a series of recommendations designed to help address what was then identified as systemic racism in the criminal justice system (Ponsaers and Devroe, 2012). As part of recommendations, Scarman noted the need for an independent review body to examine complaints made against the police (Ponsaers and Devroe, 2012). Despite recommendations being advanced on thorough research, and being aimed toward addressing the root causes of growing racial unrest and division, Scarmans main recommendations were never enacted (Ponsaers and Devroe, 2012). As a result, discriminatory treatment continued, and riots persisted as an ongoing problem in certain areas home to marginalized communities. This shows a storied history of racial discrimination intertwined in the history of Britains criminal justice system. An understanding of contemporary challenges with respect to widespread discrimination must be grounded in knowledge of the historical context that has functioned to reproduce particular inequalities and injustices. Specific Challenges in the Criminal Justice System Todays discrimination-related challenges in Britains CJS exist against a backdrop of longstanding inequality, exclusion, and racism. In four key areas of Britains CJS, significant racial discrimination can be observed. Institutional and structural biases built into the systems and values underpinning criminal justice in Britain results in a variety of inequities at different levels of operation. An inequality in outcomes in areas of search, arrest, prosecution, and sentencing, poses a broader risk to the continued functioning of Britains CJS overall. There is a pressing need to address systemic discrimination as a means of not only restoring confidence in the system, but also addressing existing inequalities functioning to undermine police effectiveness. Stop and search is one area of the U.K.s CJS that has been subject to claims of discrimination and racial profiling. Historically, the stop and search program has been a source of significant controversy; following the release of the Macpherson Report in 1999, it was revealed that the police were overwhelmingly targeting visible minorities in stop and search interactions (Llewellyn, Agu and Mercer, 2010). Indeed, throughout the 1980s and 1990s, young men of colour were the most frequent target of police stops and searches (Llewellyn, Agu and Mercer, 2010). When it was revealed that police were systemically targeting visible minorities, police largely curtailed its use (Llewellyn, Agu and Mercer, 2010). It is noted, however, that since the 7/7 bombings, use of stop and search has once again increased; this has been cited as a broader trend toward securitisation in the wake of the attacks (Parmar, 2014). As part of this process, Muslim communities in the U.K. have now been disproportio nately targeted by police (Parmar, 2014). At the same time, media portrayals have reinforced notions of Muslim communities as being inherently connected with criminality (Parmar, 2014). This process has mirrored the othering of black communities historically in Britains CJS. Based on DNA samples collected at the time of arrest, black men are overwhelmingly overrepresented in terms of their numbers of arrest, particularly when compared with the Asian and white populations in the U.K. (The Stationery Office, 2010). The data show that 27 percent of the U.K.s black populationÂÂ   have their DNA stored in the national DNA database (The Stationery Office, 2010). This is compared to just six percent of the countrys white population, and just nine percent of the countrys Asian population (The Stationery Office, 2010). These numbers show that even today, black men are far more likely to be arrested than white or Asian men in the U.K. The research has confirmed that the root cause of the overrepresentation of black citizens in the U.K. CJS is their overrepresentation in arrest and prosecution (Hood, 2008). Moreover, the research has shown that black defendants are more likely to receive longer sentences than their white counterparts (Hood, 2008). These findin gs reveal a CJS where racial discrimination is widespread and pernicious. The Problem of Overrepresentation The problem of overrepresentation in the CJS is manifested differently among the diverse BME population. Socio-economic status is a key factor in shaping the experiences of black males with the CJS in Britain; different groups and communities have tended to experience different levels of socio-economic success and integration (Alexander, 2010). For example, the research has demonstrated that families of Pakistani and Bangladeshi descent have tended to face higher risks of poverty; conversely, black Caribbean communities and communities of African descent face a higher risk of educational problems which can reflect their marginalization (Alexander, 2010). For some communities, a significant level of marginalization and isolation from the broader society has led to a kind of polarisation and tribalisation (Alexander, 2010). For other communities, the experience is markedly different. There is thus a need to recognize the diversity inherent in the experiences of different communities. W hile overrepresentation is clearly a problem in the U.K.s CJS, it is potentially dangerous to essentialise diverse groups on the basis of broad trends and statistics. A Nuanced Explanation of Discrimination A nuanced understanding of the root causes of discrimination in the U.K. system is needed for advancing effective policy responses. Indeed, while there are a disproportionate number of black men represented in the U.K.s CJS, the same is true for Canada and the United States, as well (Warde, 2012). Systemic and institutionalized racism, built-into the structures and norms underlying social institutions like criminal justice systems is a complex and multifaceted issue that cannot be explained or addressed through a singular focus on any one particular cause. Rather, adopting an intersectional and nuanced approach can help to explain both how racial discrimination persists at different levels of Britains CJS, as well as how it interacts with other institutionalized and historic forms of discrimination. The importance of considering the broader historical context, particularly for those with certain identities racialized by the CJS in Britain, cannot be ignored. Institutionalized slavery and the legacy of the slave trade represents an important factor to consider when attempting to explain institutionalized discrimination. It has been argued that the intergenerational effects of slavery have left many immigrants already fragile (Burke, 2015). Upon their encounters with institutional racism in Britains CJS, powerful consequences can result. These interactions can open existing wounds and drive deep division and mistrust for the police. The consequence here is that communities are made less safe, while the legitimacy of law enforcement is undermined. This helps to illustrate the pernicious effect of discrimination; not only are individuals unfairly targeted for arbitrary reasons, the public is made less safe as a result of greater division between some communities and the police. Conclusion It is clear that widespread racial discrimination persists in the U.K. CJS. Black men are dramatically overrepresented at the levels of stop and search, arrest, and prosecution. Moreover, these citizens tend to receive longer sentences than other defendants. While different communities may experience different levels of discrimination, racial discrimination in the CJS represents a pressing threat to public safety. As long as institutional bias continues to exist within the CJS, and minority communities are unfairly targeted, the public will face serious risks. Going forward, a commitment to address the root causes of racial bias is needed. References Alexander, C. (2010). Culturing poverty? Ethnicity, religion, gender, and social disadvantage among South Asian Muslim communities in the United Kingdom. In: S. Chant, ed., The International Handbook of Gender and Poverty: Concepts, Research, Policy, 1st ed. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp.272-277. Burke, A. (2015). The extent of conflict between being black and being British. Criminal Justice Matters, 101(1), pp.6-9. Cloake, J. and Tudor, R. (2001). Multicultural Britain. 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Denham, J. (2007). Young black people and the criminal justice system. 1st ed. London: Stationery Office. Hood, R. (2008). Discrimination in the courts?. In: B. Spalek, ed., Ethnicity And Crime: A Reader: A Reader, 1st ed. Berkshire: Open University Press, pp.54-63. Keith, M. (2008). Between Being and Becoming? Rights, Responsibilities and the Politics of Multiculture in the New East End. Sociological Research Online, 13(5). Llewellyn, A., Agu, L. and Mercer, D. (2010). Sociology for social workers. 1st ed. Cambridge: Polity. Parmar, A. (2014). Configuring ethnic identities: resistance as a response to counter-terrorist policy. In: C. Phillips and C. Webster, ed., New Directions in Race, Ethnicity and Crime, 1st ed. London and New York: Routledge, pp.118-138. Ponsaers, P. and Devroe, E. (2012). On how a failing government creates an intrusive police force. In: E. Devroe, ed., Tides and currents in police theories, Issue 25; Issues 2012-2014, 1st ed. Antwerp and Portland: Maklu Publishers, pp.115-134. Rowe, M. (2012). Race Crime (Key Approaches to Criminology). 1st ed. London and Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. The Stationery Office, (2010). Legislative Scrutiny: Crime And Security Bill; Personal Care At Home Bill; Children, Schools And Families Bill Twelfth Report Of Session 2009-10 Report, Together With Formal Minutes And Written: House Of Lords Paper 67 Session 2009-10. 1st ed. London: The Stationery Office. Warde, B. (2012). Black Male Disproportionality in the Criminal Justice Systems of the USA, Canada, and England: a Comparative Analysis of Incarceration. Journal of African American Studies, 17(4), pp.461-479.

Floor Exercise :: Exercise Physiology

Floor Exercise   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Floor exercise is a sequence of tumbles, leaps, and balances, which make a gymnastics performance. No equipment is used, only a mat and open space. At competitions, judges look for good posture, proper technique, continuity, and variety.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Floor exercise builds confidence and character. Your self confidence increases as you learn body control. As you become involved you will gain self discipline. You will learn valuable lessons about exercise, eating correctly, and getting the proper amount of rest, leading to a healthy and longer life. Competitive acrobatics have various levels at which people can participate and gain recognition for achievements. Most important, floor exercise is fun. More challenging the than other activities. Tumbling is considered the basis of all acrobatics. Although it is not one of the four Olympic competitive events, tumbling is important because the skills you learn will help you perform the other events. For example, the basic forward roll can also be performed on the balance beam and in the floor exercise, and is important even when learning the vault and the uneven bars.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The best way to learn floor exercise is through progressions. A progression is a step by step method of learning skills, beginning with the easy ones and gradually mastering the more difficult ones. If you wanted to learn a forward somersault, you would not just start out trying to do the somersault. Instead, you would learn a whole series of skills one by one, moving along to the next one only after you mastered the first. It is important to be patient when learning floor exercises through progressions. Do not move on to the next skill in the progression until you and your coach have determined that you are ready. This method will allow you to learn a large number of skills while having fun and developing confidence. If you find a skill to be particularly difficult to learn, perhaps you are trying to take too big of a step, or too many, in your progression. Ask your coach for assistance. She or he can almost always give you smaller steps that will help you reach your goal. In learning acrobatics or any other sport it requires that you also learn the language of the sport. The language of acrobatics is quite complicated. For example, a forward roll is done on the ground, but a forward somersault or salto is done in the air. Someone might think that you have learned a front flip, but you will know that this is really a salto.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Floor exercise is fun and one of the best overall physical fitness

Obesity and the Media Essay

Although advertisers and the media have a huge impact on the issue of childhood obesity, the parents have the final call on what their children eat and don’t eat. It is the parents who give in to their children’s whining and give them what they want just to please them. Childhood obesity starts when the children are old enough to realize that they can get their way when they cry for something. It is the parents’ responsibility to lead by example and teach their children healthy eating habits at a young age. If the parents have unhealthy eating habits and include fast food and fried food in their diet on a regular basis, it is likely that their children will do the same. Kids will get accustomed to eating whatever is made available for them in their home. It is the parents’ job to provide healthy snack options so that their children can get used to healthy habits at early ages. When children are first attracted to the fast food ads at a very young age, it is often because they are attracted to the toys such as the ones offered in â€Å"happy meals.† Another reason why fast food is so popular is because it is a quick and easy meal when people are busy or don’t feel like cooking dinner. My solution to these issues would be to create a fast food chain that offered healthier options. That way, when people want to drive through and order something quick, they would be able to do so while still eating healthy. These restaurants would also offer children’s meals that include a toy, which would promote staying active, and eating healthy. The advertisement that I created is for a healthy fast food restaurant called Chick-A-Dees. This restaurant would offer all natural foods, rather than deep-fried options. The ad uses bright colors and cartoon characters to get children’s attention. It also promises a toy with every kid’s meal and advertises a jungle gym for kids to play on when they come to the restaurant. If restaurants opened that made healthy food seem exciting and fun to kids, they would definitely be more likely to want to try it or even like it. The advertising of toys that are included in kids’ meals at fast food restaurants is a main reason that young kids want to go to these places. However, there are many other toys for children that are advertised on television everyday, which encourage unhealthy eating habits. Among these are: the Easy Bake Oven, Popcorn Basketball, Smores Stick, Marshmallow Gun, Girls Gourmet Candy Jewel Factory Oven, 1000 Piece Candy Jigsaw, Counting Cookies, Mix and Match Doughnuts, and McDonalds Drive Through Food Cart. (The Toy Zone) All of these toys cause children to associate unhealthy eating with fun, which is a main contributing factor to the issue of childhood obesity. The KidsHealth article makes a great point about how parents need to act as role models and demonstrate to their kids proper serving size, how to enjoy treats in moderation, and exercising regularly. This is so true; bad habits start when the child is very young, and over time they become more difficult to squash. The article mentions some habits that parents should get their kids used to such as: have regular family meals, serve a variety of healthy foods and snacks, be a role model by eating healthy yourself, avoid battles over food, and involve kids in the process. Regular family meals have a huge impact on preventing unhealthy eating habits. If the family makes it their goal to sit down for dinner together even 4 days a week, it would make all the difference. As the article titled Childhood Obesity states, â€Å"children are getting more of their food away from home.† Making family meals a regular part of the routine would prevent the family from turning to the easy option of fast food, or eating out at restaurants where they serve countless courses and portions that are much to big for one sitting. The KidsHealth website also suggests that parents stock up on healthy foods. Having fattening or sugary snacks available for kids to snack on when they’re hungry will only add to the issue. There are plenty of healthy and organic snacks that are really tasty also, and if kids get used to eating them while they’re young, they will never know the difference. Making sure your child has breakfast is also an important factor to a healthy diet, as stated in Childhood Obesity. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and necessary for a healthy metabolism. The article pretty much covers all the issues and solutions that I would like to obesity in children. If I were to add something to it I would say that it is so important that parents are involved in their child’s life. This gets even more important as they grow into teens, so it should start when they are children. Parents should know if the child is having problems in school, trouble making friends, being bullied, etc. All of these issues can contribute to the child turning to food for comfort. Another idea that the article didn’t mention is parents buying their children toys that encourage healthy activity rather than laziness or unhealthy eating. Instead of buying a videogame or and Easy Bake Oven for example, get them things to play their favorite sport with. If the child isn’t into sports, and would rather play video games, encourage active games like Wii Fit or Dance games. Getting involved in the activity is a great way to encourage it. I don’t think that the media has exaggerated the issue of childhood obesity in our society. It is a huge problem and we see it everyday, no matter where we are. The media needs to start promoting less of the unhealthy habits and show more advertisements for healthy eating and games and toys that involve activity. In order to prevent obesity and diseases that are linked to it, parents must encourage and demonstrate healthy eating habits as well as teaching their children to stay active. The prevention must start when the child is young, and remain steady and continuous as they grow. http://www.aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/child_obesity/ http://www.thetoyzone.com/2010/15-toys-that-will-make-your-children-fat/

Verb Phrase Deletion in English