Are statistics racist?

Question

why is that a person will state a stat such as "Black people make up 80 percent of the prison population." And say this is proof that Blacks are criminals. Now the number is closer 42 percent in reality, but that is still too high.

But lets say it true that 80 percent of prison inmates are Black. How is that a person can state this a fact, but then deny that there is any racism in the justice system.

Do you see what I am getting at?

how is that such a statistic is looked at as proof of Black peoples inferiority rather than evidence of racism in the justice system?

GOD - You are truly a scholar!

Answer 1

Statistics are not racist and statisticians are not either. Society is racist and due to that racism, statisticians give biased results. Statisticians are no different from mainstream media. They report what sells. They may not be selling a news story but they are selling themself. The highest paid and most employable statisticians are the ones that will keep the nation rivoted by what they report. If you take one thing and look up six different sources you will get six different numbers. Not to mention that a statistic is usually only a small sampling of the population that they report. So called statistics is the biggest lie that there is. It is big business just like everything else is nowadays.

The justice system has never been built on justice at all. It did not start as justice. Think about this, if a person molest and kill ten children and if one of the victim's family member tortures him, then that is justice in the eyes of some and cruelity in the eyes of others. When our justice system was created then black america was still in chains, women were second class citizens. Considering how few laws have been amended, then anybody should be able to deduce that not only is the justice system sexist but it is racist also. Putting someone in jail that looks like the founding fathers of our modern day justice system does not sit well for many. So, that is why you have so many people sitting in jail for small crimes and ones sitting in there that did not do one thing but be born the wrong shade.


Here is a link that I think supports the argument

http://academic.udayton.edu/race/03justice/s98blake.htm

Answer 2

"Black people make up 80 percent of the prison population." And say this is proof that Blacks are criminals.
If 80% of prisoners are black......Then 100% of that number ARE criminals. A criminal by definition is some one who comits a crime..What do you want "us" to call them...

Do you prefer that only whites be reffered to as criminals? What do we call the black as he walks out of prison.....A non criminal offender?
Or is that too harsh?



But lets say it true that 80 percent of prison inmates are Black. How is that a person can state this a fact, but then deny that there is any racism in the justice system.

The courts go out of the way to make sure that the jury is racially balanced.......Try again!

Answer 3

Statistics in and of themselves don't seem to be racist, however the motive they're requested may also be, as may also be the outcome which can be drawn from them. These information look particularly simple, however I continually query whilst matters like this are race-centered. Sometimes information like this can be utilized to turn out a beforehand made up our minds opinion, however race possibly fully incidental. The crime fee amongst blacks possibly tied to poverty. What could the realization be? That the police drive is inherently racist, and the judicial procedure is extra harsh on blacks than whites? Or is it looking to make the factor that blacks are genetically predisposed to crime? Also, there may be a few subtlety within the wording that could lead to a few fake conclusions. "More blacks have been arrested" - that might imply that extra blacks honestly dedicated the crimes, extra blacks have been stuck, or extra blacks have been sought than their white opposite numbers. The imprisonment fee could factor to extra repeat offenders, crimes which might be extra violent, or judicial prejudice. It could even factor to a problem wherein fewer blacks might find the money for attorneys, and that there's a prime fee of incompetence amongst public defenders.

Answer 4

You are absolutely right. Bigots don't look at that way. Their reasoning isn't that the system is racist, it's that blacks commit more crimes

They refuse to see or acknowledge that the "system" is very much so racist and geared at the destruction of minorities.

Even statistics can be manipulated.

If they really cared about the racism in the system they wouldn't try so hard to bring negative "statistics" about black ppl. I've never once seen them research & bring up positive statistics about blacks.

Answer 5

Statistics are just numbers. The number of black, white, hispanic, etc. in a specific area could differ. It does not mean that blacks are criminals. It just means in that particular prison there are in fact more blacks. There are other factors that affect statistics including the geographical location.

Answer 6

True. The justice system is not fair. If there was a young
african american male accused for murder! Dont you agree
the justice system would go alot harder on him. Since it is said that inmates are mainley black people. Now lets switch it up. What if it was a young white man similar to the black man accused of murder. Then what do you think!
Whatever happened to equlity? It's so wrong I feel ya brotha..

Answer 7

I think a lot of hard-to-answer questions are written off as racist.

While it is certainly possible that the courts are racist, it is equally possible that the black population is *doing* more things to get themselves in jail. For some reason, even pointing out that possibility is enough to get a person tagged as racist.

Answer 8

It's all interpretation- if a disproportionately high number of black people are in prison, one person could conclude it is because they are naturally disposed to criminality, while the next person will say it is because of institutionalised inequalities in all facets of living.

"70% of statistics are made up on the spot" - Bob Mortimer

Answer 9

Racists are not well known for their mathematical prowess. Statistics tend to state whatever the statistician sees has proof of fact. This means leaves room for a grand margin of error. However, I am 100% sure that most statistics run afoul of truth.

Answer 10

The statistics themselves are not racist. They have the ability to reveal racism on the part of the courts, as you have said, and they also have the ability to reveal actual differences between people of different ethnic origins. However they are not sentient and can themselves be racist about as much as a rock or a tree can be racist (that is to say zero). Racism is a matter of opinion, of belief, not of facts.