Ferguson a Stark Reminder of Racial Disparity in Nation’s Justice System

Ferguson a Stark Reminder of Racial Disparity in Nation’s Justice System by Elizabeth Clarke

To read this article on the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange website, click here.

The protests in Ferguson, Mo., have captured the attention of the nation, focusing on the injustice and racial disparities in the justice system — in Ferguson.

The issues raised by the Ferguson protests are complex, but the frustrations with the disparities in our justice system have been well documented. A new report from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), points to the profound racial disparities in our nation’s prison system and calls for an end to the mass incarceration of minorities — especially for low-level offenses. The report is based on research documenting that the negative consequences to our society from mass incarceration outweighs any benefits — and that the consequences are too profound for our nation to continue locking up a quarter of the world’s prisoners.