The arrest of Ahmed Mohamed is just a single example of a larger problem in America. Well-behaved boys of color are more likely to get imprisoned than white boys who cause trouble, according to a recent study.
Boys of color are, on average, twice as likely to get arrested and imprisoned as their white counterparts, according to a study published the research journal, Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice. White students who said they’d committed 40 crimes within the period of a year were as likely to get imprisoned as black and Hispanic students who committed only five crimes within that same timeframe.
“Youth of color are not given the benefit of the doubt. The presumption of innocence is just not there for them and certainly wasn’t there for him in this case,” said juvenile crime attorney Thena Robinson-Mock. “In my opinion, had Ahmed been a white student, this would not have happened to him.”
That discrimination isn’t exclusive only to the juvenile justice system. It’s prevalent within schools, as well. It was found that the words “defiance” and “disobedience” were more likely to be attached to students of color than white students.
Not only are students of color more likely to be charged with crimes, but the punishments are also likely to be harsher. Racial discrimination is still present in America, and Mohamed’s case isn’t an isolated incident.
For more on this story, visit the Washington Post Ahmed isn’t alone: Well-behaved minority boys more likely to be imprisoned than white troublemakers
