Systemic Racial Discrimination In The Justice System: A Case Study Of ‘When They See Us’

R. Raksha Prasad, Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad

ABSTRACT

While the courts work to provide fair and just decisions, sometimes false evidence presented before them and the judges' personal bias can lead to wrongly incriminating innocent people. The primary focus of this paper is racial and class discrimination with respect to false imprisonment. Accused who have been wrongly charged often face the burden of living with the stigma of being a convict and are constantly mistreated by society. Issues such as racial bias and false accusations lead to miscarriage of justice and erodes people's faith in the justice system. This paper highlights the social and legal issues of systemic racial discrimination in the justice system with a case study of the critically acclaimed Netflix miniseries 'When They See Us'.

Keywords: Racism, Institutionalised Racism, Class Discrimination, False Imprisonment, Psychological Impact.