This paper examines attitudes towards the criminal justice system among a large, diverse sample of residents from Toronto, Canada. The results indicate that while most residents positively evaluate the performance of the police and criminal courts, black and Chinese Canadians have less favorable views than whites. Compared to whites, racial minority respondents are also much more likely to perceive various forms of discrimination within the justice system. Perceptions of racial bias are particularly widespread among black respondents. Interestingly, these racial differences cannot be explained by immigration patterns. Indeed, regardless of race, attitudes towards the justice system are most positive among recent immigrants. However, attitudes become less favorable with time spent in Canada and are most negative among Canadian-born racial minorities. The paper concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and policy implications of these findings.Résumé Cet article porte sur les attitudes face au système de justice pénale parmi un vaste et divers échantillon de résidents de Toronto, au Canada. Les résultats indiquent que si la majorité des résidents évaluent de façon positive la performance de la police et des tribunaux criminels, les Canadiens noirs et chinois ont un avis moins favorable que celui des Blancs. De plus, les répondants membres d'une minorité raciale étaient beaucoup plus portés que les Blancs à percevoir diverses formes de discrimination au sein du système de justice. Les perceptions de préjugé racial sont particulièrement répandues chez les Noirs. Fait intéressant, ces différences raciales ne s'expliquent pas par des modèles d'immigration. En fait, indépendam-ment de la race, les immigrants nouvellement arrivés démontrent les attitudes les plus positives face au système de justice. Toutefois, les attitudes deviennent moins positives avec le temps et sont les plus négatives chez les membres de minorités raciales nés au Canada. Une discussion des retombées de ces résultats sur la théorie et les politiques vient conclure l'article.
Too little consideration has been given to conceptualizing race within mainstream criminological scholarship. One consequence of this oversight is the existence of a stale debate over the causes of racial disparities in crime and criminal justice outcomes. This article draws upon intersectionality to present an historical analysis of the policing of African Americans. The article argues that the concept of dehumanization helps explain the structural inequalities that produce crime within African American communities and the presence of racism within law enforcement agencies. The discipline may advance research in this area by adopting a constructionist racialization framework.
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