Criminal justice systems maintain social order in a way that systematically favors existing inequalities
Evidence
To be clear, however, we are not suggesting that the maintenance of group-based social hierarchy is the only function of the CJS, for it is clearly in the general interest that a modicum of social order be maintained. We are suggesting that this social order will be systematically biased in favor of the maintenance of group-based inequality. — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 58
Categorization
Category: Contrarian or Surprising Claims
- SEED: Pit this against the common ‘law as neutral arbiter’ framing; the essay angle: when does order-maintenance shade into inequality-maintenance?
Related
- Criminal justice maintains order in ways systematically biased toward inequality (similarity 0.96)
- The criminal justice system functions as a hierarchy-maintaining instrument (similarity 0.85)
- State criminal-justice violence functions to maintain group-based hierarchy. (similarity 0.82)
- Punishing minority defendants can function to preserve existing social hierarchies (similarity 0.79)