Demographics And Criminal Justice In Boston: An Analysis

1. Describe the demographics for the city of Boston, and be sure to include the following:
Gender
Race
Ethnicity
Age
Percentage of persons in poverty

2. Describe the demographics for the Boston Police Department to include the following:
Rage
Gender
Ethnicity
Age

3. Using the information from your answers in questions 1 and 2 compare the demographics between the police department and the city; is the Boston Police department reflective of the community they serve. Support your opinion by providing 3 examples.

4. Does the race or/and ethnical background of a Boston resident affect how they view the justice system? Support your answer with 3 examples.

5. Based on what you learned from your answers and all the sources you have gathered, is there a need to diversify the Boston Police department? Support your view with 3 examples.

6. Generally speaking, based on your research does the justice system favor certain groups of people over others? Support your view with at least 3 examples.

Gender and Age

1).

                                                                        Figure 1: [Percentage of gender and age of the Boston community].

                                                                                              Source: [Created by the Author].

                                                                                 Figure 2: [Percentage of Race of the Boston Community].

                                                                                                      Source: [Created by the Author].

2).

                                                                           Figure 4: [Percentage of the Boston Police Department].

                                                                                              Source: [Created by the Author].

3).By comparing the abovementioned demographic data it can be stated that from the very beginning, the Boston Police Department has been reflective about the community they serve. In this regard, the statement can be supported by providing three examples. In the first instance, it can be stated that, there has been significant efforts on the part of the Police Department to create professional culture and inclusive environment ("Interactive Employee Demographics Dashboard | City of Boston"). However, the minorities remained underrepresented in regard to varying degrees of the large majority of police department all around the country. In the second example, emphasis can be made on the part that, in certain jurisdictions, rapid demographic shifts has been experienced. This is due to the reason that these police authorities have been reflecting the racial and ethnic groups of the communities. In the third example, it can be cited that, the Boston Police Department has dedicated themselves in working in collaboration with the community for the purpose of fighting crime and improving quality of life.

Race and Hispanic Origin

4).It is worthwhile to refer here that, race and ethnicity of the Boston resident has been affecting the nature of the Boston criminal system from the very beginning. In the first example, it is noteworthy to mention here that, the nature of the policing in America is such that it originated during the colonial times and emphasized upon municipal policing and slave patrols. The residents largely depended upon the policing system (Ransom). In the second example, it can be emphasized that, the municipal policing began in order to create response towards increased public intoxication and increasing population growth (Valencia & Allen). The third example, it can be stated that, positive changes have been made by the Boston Police Department with the help of advancement of science and technology and social justice. In spite of all these advancements, the people of color have been overrepresented in every stage in regard by the criminal justice system.

5).It is evident that, there have been very little efforts when it came to hiring people of color in regard to their recruitment and promotion. Therefore, there is a need to diversify the Boston Police Department for the purpose of maintaining transparency and community inclusion. In the first instance, it is worth mentioning that, the Boston city has continued to propagate alternative facts concerning Boston Police department on public forum (Brunson, pp 507-514).  In this context, it can be mentioned that, in such way the police force can be diversified to the large extent. In the second instance, mention can be made of the various recruiting processes in order to focus on recruiting communities of color, retention of minority recruitment process and the adoption of implicit biasness (Conley pp 24-28.). In the third instance, emphasis can be laid upon the recruitment of individuals speaking foreign languages. In such way, there shall be advancement in the recruitment of officers belonging to the minority group that will create more diverse group of applicants in the future.

6 ).It is true that the criminal justice system has been favoring certain group of people over the years. This statement can be supported with three examples. In the first instance, mention can be made about two different groups of people who has been referred to as victims of crime and resident of higher areas of crime (Simon, pp 97-115). In the second instance, these individuals have been affected by the nature of criminal justice policy. The voting rights of these individuals are slightly less than that of the local residents. Thirdly, these groups have been differentiated from the others in regard to the community punishments imposed upon them.

References:

Website and News Articles:

Interactive Employee Demographics Dashboard | City of Boston. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.cityofboston.gov/diversity.

Ransom, j. (2017). In Boston, some specialized police units are more diverse than others - The Boston Globe. Retrieved from https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/03/05/boston-some-specialized-police-units-are-more-diverse-than-others/wUKyRXCMzkBHPrdDLLF7YP/story.html.

Valencia, M., & Allen, E. (2014). Retrieved from

Journals:

Brunson, Rod K. "Focused Deterrence and Improved Police–Community Relations: Unpacking the Proverbial “Black Box”." Criminology & Public Policy 14.3 (2015): 507-514.

Conley, Daniel F. "Investigating police-involved fatalities: the Boston model." Prosecutor, Journal of the National District Attorneys Association 49.1 (2015): 24-28.

Simon, Jonathan. "Governing through crime." Law and Poverty. Routledge, 2017. 97-115.

Books:

Reiman, Jeffrey, and Paul Leighton. Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison, The (Subscription): Ideology, Class, and Criminal Justice. Routledge, 2015.

Roberts, Julian. Public opinion, crime, and criminal justice. Routledge, 2018.