RACE & JUSTICE

Structural discrimination and unjust policing, prosecution, and incarceration practices unfairly impact Black communities. Building a just system urgently demands reform.

THE CHALLENGE

When we talk about race and justice, we’re talking about the ways that discrimination, policing, prosecutions, and incarceration practices impact Black communities.

Our criminal justice system is shaped by biased policing and unfair judicial precedents, rooted in anti-Blackness and racial disparity. The emotional, mental, physical, and financial impact on our communities is a tangible experience for millions of Black people in the U.S. The cost of an unjust justice system is high.

  • Black people are incarcerated at more than 5 times the rate of whites.
  • 65 percent of Black adults have felt targeted because of their race. Similarly, approximately 35 percent of Latino and Asian adults have felt targeted because of race.
5X

Black men are five times more likely to be stopped without just cause than a white person. 

OUR WORK AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE

Gun Control in the Wake of the Parkland High School Massacre

The NAACP reaffirms its continued support for safe, sane, and sensible measures to end gun violence.

NAACP Opposes Gun Homicide and Calls for it to Rightfully be Seen as a Public Health Epidemic

 The NAACP urges the reform of VOCA to ensure equal access to benefits without discrimination to families in communities with higher than average rates of homicide.

Prohibition of or Ban on the Sale of Any New Assault Weapons National Firearms Act (NFA) to Include “Assault Weapons”

The NAACP will advocate for and seek the introduction of legislation to mandate the registration of any and all assault weapons now in possession of individuals who reside in this country, under the National Firearms Act.

CRIMINAL
JUSTICE FACT
SHEET

The criminal justice system is heavily impacted by the bias of police mentality, as well as outdated judicial precedents. View this toolkit of facts and figures surrounding policing, the criminal justice system, incarceration, and more.

WHAT WE’RE FIGHTING FOR

Form a diverse and fair federal judiciary

Historically, we have not been able to rely on colleges, universities, and employers to enact admissions and hiring practices that embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion. Demand equal opportunity in education by joining us in calling on colleges, universities, corporations across the country to commit to diversity, no matter what.

Eliminate racial and economic bias

To reform our justice system, we must address the structural inequities that allow people with lower incomes to be penalized in ways that wealthy people aren’t. This systematically affects Black communities who continue to be over-policed, surveilled, harshly sentenced, and sent to prison in lieu of access to quality healthcare.

End mass incarceration

The U.S. has the largest prison population in the world — 1 in 100 citizens is behind bars. When incarceration is used as the primary response to social problems, individuals, families and communities suffer. We need to shift resources from prisons to education and community development, eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent offenses, establish treatment for health issues, and end the death penalty.

JOIN THE FIGHT

Join millions of activists working to build an inclusive world.

MAKE AN IMPACT

Changing the norm takes a sustained effort. Make an impact through giving.