Institutional Racism

Racism refers to a belief about the racial superiority of one group over another. Racism can be expressed in individual beliefs and actions, as well as by groups. Institutional racism is racism that is embedded in a society's institutions—for example, in the political, economic, educational, and criminal justice systems—in a subtle form that allows the dominant group to systematically exploit and dehumanize the subordinate group. Civil rights activists and political scientists are credited with introducing the concept of institutional racism. Among the functions of institutional racism is the maintenance of racist practices that create and sustain the dominant group's privileges at the expense of equal opportunities for subordinate groups. Institutional racism contributes to discriminatory systemwide norms that are embodied in institutional policies and practices. Whereas incidents of individual racism are somewhat easy to detect, institutional racism is more difficult to identify because it involves more than specific actions by individuals. This entry describes institutional racism, its history, and its impact on imprisonment and the War on Drugs.

Institutional racism consists of the policies and practices of social institutions that operate in such a way that they produce systematic and persistent differences between racial groups that contribute to social inequality. Institutional racism can occur even when no one is consciously or intentionally racist—what matters is the outcome. The key issue in institutional racism is the result, not the intent of those who are creating policies and continuing practices. Nevertheless, institutional racism is often the legacy of overt racism, whereby de facto racist practices are codified by de jure mechanisms.

Another aspect of institutionalized racism is petit apartheid realities. Criminologist Daniel Georges-Abeyie coined this term to refer to informal practices in the criminal justice system that discriminate against non-Whites. Examples of such practices are routine stop-and-question or stop-and-frisk practices that target minorities. Such discrimination in everyday law enforcement contributes to poor relations between the police and persons of color. Institutional racism may include not only explicitly encouraging racist behavior through institutional policies but also failing to take steps to halt such practices.

Whether the criminal justice system is racist continues to be hotly debated. Many criminal justice experts often rely on conventional wisdom that the system is racist, whereas others argue that such characterizations are a myth. William Wilbanks, in his controversial book The Myth of a Racist Criminal Justice System (1987), was one of the first to argue that the criminal justice system is not racist. He distinguished between individual and institutional racism and states that although individual racism occurs among police officers, attorneys, judges, and professionals in the criminal justice system, the system itself is not racist. Wilbanks confined his argument to the criminal justice system at that time and conceded that racial prejudice and discrimination had occurred in the past.

Criticism surrounding Wilbanks's book encompasses numerous issues. Wilbanks failed to recognize that the racism in the criminal justice system has become institutionalized in the same way it has in other organizational segments of the nation, such as education, politics, and the economic structure.