ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the ways race plays out in the criminal justice system. Race is the most significant variable in whether or not a defendant is sentenced to death, the severity of punishment juvenile offenders face, the odds of experiencing police brutality, or even one's likelihood of coming under police suspicion. Racial inequality in the criminal justice field warrants the attention of sociological study. Examining closely the criminal justice policies and practices that disadvantage racial minorities will lead us to a better understanding of these dynamics and their perpetuation. The white racial frame is also a useful concept for trying to understand racial inequality in the criminal justice system. Within the criminal justice system, the white racial frame exemplifies how beliefs about black criminality inform, and even justify, such police practices as racial profiling, which occurs when race is the primary reason for a person to come under police suspicion.
