Race & Justice
Structural discrimination and unjust policing, prosecution, and incarceration practices unfairly impact Black communities. Building a just system urgently demands reform.
The challenge
When we talk about race and justice, we're talking about the ways that discrimination, policing, prosecutions, and incarceration practices impact Black communities.
Our criminal justice system is shaped by biased policing and unfair judicial precedents, rooted in anti-Blackness and racial disparity. The emotional, mental, physical, and financial impact on our communities is a tangible experience for millions of Black people in the U.S. The cost of an unjust justice system is high.
- Black people are incarcerated at more than 5 times the rate of whites.
- 65 percent of Black adults have felt targeted because of their race. Similarly, approximately 35 percent of Latino and Asian adults have felt targeted because of race.
Our Work Against Gun Violence
Gun Control in the Wake of the Parkland High School Massacre
The NAACP reaffirms its continued support for safe, sane, and sensible measures to end gun violence.
NAACP Opposes Gun Homicide and Calls for it to Rightfully be Seen as a Public Health Epidemic
The NAACP urges the reform of VOCA to ensure equal access to benefits without discrimination to families in communities with higher than average rates of homicide.
Prohibition of or Ban on the Sale of Any New Assault Weapons National Firearms Act (NFA) to Include “Assault Weapons”
The NAACP will advocate for and seek the introduction of legislation to mandate the registration of any and all assault weapons now in possession of individuals who reside in this country, under the National Firearms Act.
Meet Keisha Deonarine
Keisha Deonarine serves as Director of Opportunity, Race, and Justice, guiding the strategy that drives the NAACP's work inclusive economy, race, and justice work. Keisha is a consultant specializing in anti-racism and anti-white supremacy strategic planning. She commits to educating businesses, organizations, and individuals contextualizing and resolving inequitable outcomes that are rooted in our shared Black history and race.
Race & Justice Policies
When we see policies that unfairly target or penalize Black people in the criminal justice system, we must address these issues where they are — with laws and legislation, and with elected and appointed leaders. We provided policy recommendations to the Biden Administration to eliminate race-based discrimination in policing, courts, and incarceration.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE FACT SHEET
The criminal justice system is heavily impacted by the bias of police mentality, as well as outdated judicial precedents. View this toolkit of facts and figures surrounding policing, the criminal justice system, incarceration, and more.
What We're Fighting For
Form a diverse and fair federal judiciary
We need a fair and balanced judiciary that reflects all aspects of the legal profession, especially those who've promoted equality in the civil and criminal justice systems. The number of former prosecutors and corporate attorneys who sit on the bench outnumber former civil rights lawyers and public defenders, creating a system that's skewed against individuals. This imbalance will last for decades without intervention.
Eliminate racial and economic bias
To reform our justice system, we must address the structural inequities that allow people with lower incomes to be penalized in ways that wealthy people aren't. This systematically affects Black communities who continue to be over-policed, surveilled, harshly sentenced, and sent to prison in lieu of access to quality healthcare.
End mass incarceration
The U.S. has the largest prison population in the world — 1 in 100 citizens is behind bars. When incarceration is used as the primary response to social problems, individuals, families and communities suffer. We need to shift resources from prisons to education and community development, eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent offenses, establish treatment for health issues, and end the death penalty.
Give Monthly To Keep Advancing
We refuse to go back to the injustices of the past, so the NAACP is committed to create a future where justice, equity, and freedom are a reality for all.
