Tag: Debra Thompson

Racialized and Gendered Justice in the Criminal Court System

Presenter(s): Joy Wilcox

Faculty Mentor(s): Debra Thompson

Poster 97

Session: Social Sciences & Humanities

Criminal courts facilitate mass incarceration and the disproportionate incarceration of people of color, especially Black people, and Black men in particular. While other research has been done around this topic, this study offers insight into how exactly this is produced in the courtroom specifically. This study sought to observe (1) the potential use of coded language in the courtroom as a proponent of mass incarceration, (2) the reproduction of race and gender-based biases in the criminal justice system, and (3) the role of the courts in both mass incarceration, and the disproportionate representation within the incarcerated population. This study employed an observational research approach which included the accumulation of both quantitative and qualitative data by recording the race and gender of main courtroom actors, every reference to race, gender, and/or class made in the courtroom, and a brief overview of each case in order to contextualize this information. The types of cases observed during this project include: Attempted Robbery, Burglary, Child Endangerment, Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Sell, Robbery, and Theft (including Vehicle Theft). This study found that defendants for these cases were disproportionately Black and Latinx men, while the other main courtroom actors were disproportionately White, with all categories other than prosecutors also being disproportionately men. The structural dependency on police within the courtroom resulted in the court legitimizing all police discretion with no interrogation of bias. When defendants and their legal representation attempted to discuss any identity-based bias of the criminal justice system before a jury trial, this attempt was stopped by the judge. This study concluded that in order to produce justice, anti-racism must be made a genuine priority of the criminal justice system.

Black Student Protest at the University of Oregon: Fifty Years in the Making

Presenter(s): Desirae Brown—Sociology

Faculty Mentor(s): Debra Thompson

Session 5.5: McNair Scholars Presentations

In 2015, colleges and universities across the United States saw an uprising of student protests followed by student demands . These demands were made primarily by African American and other student of color unions . Students rallied to challenge the history and culture of racism on their campuses, primarily on Predominately White Institutions . They did so by demanding their universities to actively commit to updating, changing and enacting a multitude of diversity initiatives that include but are not limited to, the hiring of more Black faculty, the opening of Black cultural centers, and increasing Black student enrollment and retention . This research will be a comparative analysis of student protest and demands of the University of Oregon; focusing on the 1967-68 and 2015-16 academic years . It will begin by studying the racial histories of Eugene, OR which will provide the framework for the continued and current racial climate in the area that has launched social activism . With this framework, this research will examine the UO Black Student Union’s Demands of 1968, as well as the climate and outcomes after such grievances were issued to the University . The study will move forward, examining the 2015-era of student protest . This research will explore the rise of Black student protest in Eugene, again in 2015; using the UO Black Student Task Force Demands to President Michael Schill, to study the similar grievances placed by Black Students nearly 50 years after the original demands . The research will study the social and institutional outcomes of each era of protest, and efforts made to move forward .