Quote:
Originally Posted by 57 On Red
The black US population is only about 41 million, so the incarceration rate has serious implications for lawmaking (like the 'three strikes rule', which can see people handed life sentences for relatively minor offences like shoplifting or drug possession -- in California of all places, possession is enough to incur a life sentence under the three-strikes rule, but probably not if you're white) and for law enforcement (since, as former US Marshal Matthew Fogg has pointed out, drug busts are restricted to certain neighbourhoods because the judge doesn't want you busting his daughter or her friends, and if you propose expanding drug busts beyond certain neighbourhoods you'll find your department budget at risk.)
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I hope you appreciate that DAs and judges have tremendous discretion what to charge suspect with and how to sentence them. And in 21st century CA you would have a very hard time finding a case where it could be argued a suspect was being unduly criminalized because they were black; but you could easily find numerous cases where it could be argued they were given lenient treatment; and this is on top of CA already being fairly lenient (especially in the blue coastal counties where the vast majority of people live).
A progressive Los Angeles DA was recently voted out of office and San Francisco recently had a DA recalled (in part) because of bad press from high profile violent crimes committed by black suspects who you couldn't even wrap your mind around why they were still on the streets after recent violent behavior. This is one high profile case the recalled San Fransisco DA got a tremendous amount of bad press for, where he easily could have invoked the 3 strikes law many crimes ago if he was inclined to do so.
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/loca...d-run/2436773/
In 2025 the 3 strikes law is generally viewed as a last resort to keep repeat violent criminals in jail (for their own safety and that of the community) when there is other way to do so, given CAs very permissive laws. Despite what you might see in movies, it isn't used as a means to unduly incarcerate repeat petty, non violent black criminals.
