A U.S. Department of Justice report stated that in 1999, African Americans were 20% more likely to be stopped than white Americans, and police were more than twice as likely to search the car of an African American or Hispanic driver than a white driver. Certain police are taking advantage of their position of authority. Increasingly the police are seen by people of color as an occupying army whose role is to protect property rights rather than people and to enforce order against oppressed groups. Statistics show that more than one-fourth of all black males and 16% of Latinos can expect to spend time in prison during their lifetime, while only 4% of white males will ever go to prison. African Americans make up 12% of the U.S. population, but they comprise about half of all prison inmates and 40% of those sentenced to death. In addition, a third of all African American males aged 20-29 are right now either locked up, on probation, or on parole. The most recent statistics show that blacks are arrested and incarcerated for drug use at a much higher rate than can be accounted for by their rate of drug use. Blacks constitute some 35% of those arrested for drug possession, 55% of those convicted of possession, and 74% of those sentenced to prison for possession. Minorities, specifically blacks, are charged with more serious crimes, have less opportunity to plea-bargain, are convicted more frequently, and receive harsher sentences when compared to whites in similar situations. Inequality has always existed in the United States legal system and continues to exist today; even though inequality presently in the system is not as blatant as what it once was, the system has come to depend on inequality. Other than police misconduct, racial inequities have also poisoned the criminal justice system. .
A study by the California Judicial Council Advisory Committee on Racial and Ethnic Bias in the Courts found that the justice system gives little attention or resources to investigating crimes against minorities and that minority defendants receive harsh treatment compared to white defendants in similar circumstances.
