Roundtable: The Intersection of Race, Social Justice, and Criminal Justice

Session Submission Type: Roundtable Session

Abstract

Social justice has been generally presented in the contemporary literature as constituting the principle of fairness and equality in justice. Social justice is underpinned by the principle that the consequence of official policies, law enforcement, and governmental agencies should be based on the concept of equal allocation of benefits, justice, and treatment among all participants in a society. In essence, social justice calls for the equitable and just relation between the individual and society. Racial minority citizens have long questioned the very notion of fairness and equality in the administration of justice. Many in the racial minority community believe the criminal justice system has historically been a beacon of injustice and disparate treatment for them. This roundtable session will discuss how the principle of social justice can be applied as a mandate for criminal justice reform and rebuilding legitimacy and trust between criminal justice agencies and the racial minority citizenry.

Sub Unit

• Area XIII: Roundtable Sessions

Division of Special Interest

• Divisions of Special Interest / Division of Policing

Chair

• Michael L. Birzer, Wichita State University

Discussants

• John Paul, Wichita State University

• Cliff Roberson, Washburn University

• Delores Craig-Moreland, Wichita State University

• Elena Azaola, Center for Advanced Studies and Research in Social Anthropology