On
Monday, protesters
in Ferguson, MO continued their fourth day of renewed
protests over the police shooting of an unarmed black teenager,
Michael Brown. Protestors brought signs and t-shirts with slogans
including “Black Lives Matter” and “My Blackness is Not a Weapon.”
The incident has reignited public debate over accountability and
racial bias in the nation’s police departments and the criminal
justice system more generally.
The latest Reason-Rupe poll finds 44
percent of Americans believe the criminal justice system in the
United States treats white Americans more fairly than black and
Hispanic Americans. Another 45 percent believe the system treats
all racial groups the same, 6 percent think the system favors black
and Hispanic Americans, and 5 percent aren’t sure.
When it comes to perceptions of systemic bias in the criminal
justice system, Democrats are significantly more likely to perceive
bias than Republicans and independents. Fifty-nine percent of
Democrats believe America’s criminal justice system treats white
Americans more fairly than minorities; only 35 percent think the
system treats all fairly. In stark contrast, 62 percent of
Republicans believe the system treats everyone equally under the
law, while 26 percent say white Americans are treated better.
Independents are divided with 40 percent who say the justice system
is fair, and 37 percent who believes it’s biased against
minorities.
African-Americans and Hispanics are also significantly more
likely than white Americans to perceive systemic bias. Fully 83
percent of African-Americans and 62 percent of Hispanics say whites
are treated more fairly than minorities. Only 34 percent of white
Americans agree that the system gives them preferential treatment;
instead, 53 percent believe the system treats all Americans
equally.
Younger Americans are much more likely to perceive bias in the
system than older Americans, and this cannot be fully explained by
greater diversity among younger cohorts. Among 18-34 year olds, 54
percent say the justice system is biased in favor of white
Americans, while 40 percent think it treats everyone the same.
Americans 35-54 are evenly divided with slightly more (47%)
perceiving bias than equal treatment (42%). However, among
Americans over 55, a majority—52 percent—says the justice system is
fair to everyone, 34 percent perceive a bias in favor of
Caucasians.
There is even a slight difference between men and women on
perception of bias. A plurality (49%) of women believes white
Americans are treated more fairly and 40 percent think the justice
system treats all equally. Conversely, 50 percent of men believe
the system is fair, and 39 percent believe white Americans are
treated more fairly.
Reason-Rupe also finds that Americans living in urban areas are
more likely to perceive unequal treatment in favor of Caucasians in
the criminal justice system: 55 to 37 percent. In suburban areas, a
plurality (47%) believes the system is fair to everyone while 41
percent perceive a bias against minorities. Conversely, a majority
(54 percent) of Americans in rural areas say the criminal justice
system treats everyone the same, while 34 percent perceive a bias
in favor of white Americans.
When we compare these results to the average elected official,
such as those in Congress, we find that politicians come from the
very demographic groups least likely to believe there is bias in
the criminal justice system:
The average
member of Congress in 2014 is 57 years old,
college-educated, male, and Caucasian. Using a statistical
technique, we find a person with the same demographics as the
average member of Congress has a 65% chance of believing the
criminal justice system in America is fair to all racial groups. In
contrast, a similar nonwhite female who is 40-years-old is 26
percent likely to agree.
Basically, those in elected office are most likely to come from
demographic groups least likely to detect bias in the criminal
justice system. This may help explain why Ferguson residents are so
upset—they feel those in power do not believe them nor care about
them.
This does not mean that one group is necessarily completely
right while the other is completely wrong. This also does not
suggest that racial animus implicitly drives those who don’t
perceive bias in the system. However, the very presence of these
stark demographic and partisan differences incontrovertibly merits
our close attention. Yet, these very differences are what make
constructive debate over criminal justice reform so
challenging.
America stands for equal treatment under the law predicated on
the belief that all individuals’ share inherent equal dignity.
However, these tenants are nothing more than empty promises if the
state’s most powerful tool—its police power—is misused or applied
inconsistently. If police power is misapplied, partisan and racial
perception differences make it even more difficult to have a
constructive debate about it. Until there is greater mutual
willingness to listen to the experiences of others, reform and
renewal may remain elusive.
The Reason-Rupe national telephone poll, executed
by Princeton Survey Research Associates International,
conducted live interviews with 1004 adults on cell phones (503) and
landlines (501) October 1-6, 2014. The poll’s margin of error
is +/-3.8%. Full poll results can be found here. including
poll toplines (pdf)
and crosstabs (xls).
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