Profiling in the United States

Ethnic Profiling: Use by Police and Homeland Security in relation to Crime and Race

Ethnic Profiling: Use by Police and Homeland Security is included in the Encyclopedia of Race and Crime (1), beginning with: Ethnic profiling, also called racial profiling, is a controversial issue in the criminal justice system. It is a new term for old practices of institutional discrimination and racial or ethnic bias. The term profiling has its roots in profiling serial murderers by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and drug law enforcement in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The basic concept of profiling involves using characteristics of captured offenders as a guide in apprehending potential offenders. Racial/ethnic profiling is a controversial issue, with advocates and opponents squaring off on the practice. Civil rights groups and minority groups often accuse police of using race/ethnicity as a basis for detaining, searching, arresting, and incarcerating people. Police argue that race/ethnicity is only one characteristic used in a profile of criminal offenders.

Resources

Notes and References

1. Entry about Ethnic Profiling: Use by Police and Homeland Security in the Encyclopedia of Race and Crime

See Also

Profiling in the Criminal Justice System