Race and Gender in Law Enforcement, Essay Example

State your Criminal Justice career choice – Law Enforcement

My chosen career path has to do with law enforcement. This is because these people are charged with keeping the public safe. They do a huge service of keeping the community safe from criminals and other assailants that are poised to cause public discourse and harm. There are approximately 3,443,205 law enforcement officers in the United States. This shows that it is a career with a lot of demand. This career interests me because of the protective role associated with it. Maintaining order in society is a critical function that allows other sectors of the economy to prosper, such as business and sports. People, therefore, are inclined to live peaceful lives, and their quality of life is improved. A further benefit is being able to save the lives of many people. This can be done directly, for example, people involved in hostage situations or indirectly, as is the case of the victims of drug selling networks and cartels.

There are many career options to choose from here on out. The various departments that a person can choose to work for vary and are diverse. Examples include the department of defense, where one can work as a Pentagon force protection agent. There is also the Department of Justice where a person can work as a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent, coupled with the US Marshall Enforcer of a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agent. This is what is good about this line of work. The number of career paths is limitless. Also pertinent is the ability of someone to climb the ‘corporate ladder, so to speak. Field officers can get promoted to more. The Department of Homeland security has the highest number of officers, assigned with 62,125. This is closely followed by the Department of Justice that has 43,666. The Judicial branch and legislative branch have the lowest numbers with 4141 and 1821 officers, respectively. This may be due to the relatively safe environments these officers operate in.

Indicate what area of Diversity you have selected for the assignment – Race And Gender

The law enforcement agency is facing problems when it comes to the diversity of its officials. There have been calls to promote inclusivity for the various groups of people that exist out there. The first area of diversity chosen has to do with the racial profile of the law enforcers. A study done revealed that, in 2018, whites were by far the highest number out of all the groups involves. They represented about 66.5 % of the total number of officers. This was followed by the black community that had 10.4% representation. This was to be expected due to their active involvement in law enforcement. Hispanics made up 19.8%, while the Asian communities that included all the subtypes such as the Japanese and Chines made up 2.9% of the total. The rest was divided among the Native Hawaiian and Alaskans. The white people were the most of the law enforcement agencies and accounted for more than 50%. This is a staggering number when one stops to consider this in detail. This meant that for every three police officers in America, two of them are white. The next area of diversity is the gender of the law enforcement agencies. Two genders are represented here; they are the males and the females. The males in 2008 represented 84.5% while the females represented 15.5%. This can be attributed to the male-dominated society that people live in. Also, law enforcement has traditionally been a role of the males. The females also do not have the required strength to deal with certain scenarios where force is required. They are prone to be influenced by their emotions and make costly errors. However, all of this can be prevented through proper training and mentoring programs.

What does the data tell you concerning race and gender in law enforcement about Defendants, Victims, and Criminal justice professionals?

The victimization rates of the crimes were more for the females, 20.8%, compared to the males’ 20.4%. In addition, the victimization rates were more among the black people at 21.8 %, while the whites and the Hispanics have almost the same victimization rates at 20.8 and 20.7%, respectively. The distribution of jobs in the law enforcement agencies, in a study, revealed that in 2018 whites were by far the highest number out of all the groups involved. They represented about 66.5 % of the total number of officers. This was followed by the black community that had 10.4% representation. This was to be expected due to their active involvement in law enforcement. Hispanics made up 19.8%, while the Asian communities that included all the subtypes such as the Japanese and Chines made up 2.9% of the total. When it comes to the number of victims, whites are affected the highest at 66.5%. This is followed by the blacks with 10.8%. This is followed by the Hispanics and lastly the Asians. With respect to the genders, the males are the offenders 46.6% of the time. This is less than the females. The males are offenders 77% of the time while the females are offenders less of the time at 18.3%. On the other hand, when it comes to the races that commit crimes, whites lead the way at 52.6%, followed by the blacks, and lastly, the Hispanics.

Analyze any issues concerning race and gender the data may suggest about Defendants, Victims, and Criminal justice professional and be very specific

The data shows that the males are, in most cases, the offenders when it comes to the number of crimes committed. This data is important when determining and forecasting the construction of prison units. The male population needs to be allocated more resources in terms of correction facilities. There is also a need to get the male population more when formulating such decisions. Victimization of the blacks is higher, which is indicative of the bias against them in society when it comes to discrimination. This may be due to the fact that they are colored compared to other races, such as Hispanics and white people. It is also interesting to note that the males are victims more times than in the other races. This may be due to the perception of prosperity that is associated with this demographic. This makes them targets of robbery and violence more than any other race. The offenders often think that they will get more from the whites as they are rich.

How did it compare to what you thought you knew prior to reading the articles/data sources?

The data is surprising in the fact that women were more involved in the law enforcement positions at a higher rate than I thought. I always associated women with being fragile and hence not taking any major roles in law enforcement. The data also shows that women have been involved in sex offenses even though at a slower rate than the males, at 22.4%. I always associated sex offenses with the male population even when I heard reports in the media; I immediately turned to the conclusion that a man was responsible. It is also interesting to note that whites are the highest affected when It comes to the number of victims. They have access to the best police response times, and their neighborhoods are safer than other populations. The black people live in largely disorganized and unsafe areas; hence, the expectation was that they would be the most affected. This most likely indicated the targeting of white people by other demographics. More protection should be offered to them.

How does it change your opinion about Law enforcement as your career choice?

The law enforcement field is diverse, with both opportunities for males and females. One anticipates the challenges or the scenarios to be encountered in the field. Many cases are needed to be handled by these officers, such as rape cases, robbery, robbery with violence, among other offenses. These officers need to be good at collecting information, as well as sensing the danger of certain situations. Interesting is the role of the law enforcers to testify in the courts, which can place them in danger. This shows the risks associated with the job. My opinion has changed; I have been made aware of the risks and will be more cautious.

References

Beck, A. (2021). Race and Ethnicity of Violent Crime Offenders and Arrestees, 2018. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Brooks, C., Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), US Dept of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, & United States of America. (2018). Federal Law Enforcement Officers, 2016-Statistical Tables https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/search

Morgan, R. E., & Kena, G. (2018). Criminal victimization, 2016: revised. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/search