trates.White defendantWhite victim56.81%White defendantBlack victim1.17%White defendantAsian victim.47%White defendantLatino victim1.64%Black defendantWhite victim23.47%Black defendantBlack victim11.50%Black defendantAsian victim.47%Black defendantLatino victim.23%Hutchinson, Death Penalty, 5Race of VictimsPercentage of TotalWhite82.16%Black12.91%Latino3.29%Asian1.64%(Kent)National Awareness: The National Criminal Justice Commission published a report on crime in 1996 detailing all aspects of crime in the United States. It acknowledges the relationship between poverty, family breakdown, and criminal justice. It also demonstrates that there are more minorities that whites in the criminal justice system. (Donziger) It must be admitted, therefore, that justice does not always prevail for those of all races and socioeconomic strata.One of the most notable problems, the Commission found, was the cost of defense. The overwhelming majority of people accused of crimes cannot afford to hire their own attorney, let alone expert witnesses.Nor do they have the funds to analyze DNA evidence independent of the prosecution, a process that can cost tens of thousands of dollars (Donziger). Public defenders are almost always pushed to the limit not only financially but with time as well. Some public defenders can carry 350 cases or more at a time. It might even occur that a public defender might not meet his or her client until the day of the trial. Hutchinson, Death Penalty, 6There have been a number of studies detailing the criminalization of minorities. In a 1989 report on The Sentencing Project, it was found that one out of every four African-American men aged 20 to 29 were either incarcerated, on probation, or out on parole. (Donziger) It was found in 1993 by a Federal Court in Duval County, Florida, that 76% of African-American men [in that county] would be arrested and jailed at least one time before the age of 36. (Donziger) Later, The ...
