Supporting and promoting protective social policies.

Social policies: There have been a number of social policies put in place to address racial discrimination in the criminal justice system. These include:

• The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, which reduced the disparity in sentencing for crack cocaine and powder cocaine offenses.
• The First Step Act of 2018, which reformed the federal prison system and provided opportunities for early release for nonviolent offenders.
• The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021, which would ban chokeholds and no-knock warrants, and create a national registry of police misconduct.

Social workers: Social workers can play a number of roles in supporting and promoting protective social policies to address racial discrimination in the criminal justice system. These include:

• Advocating for policies that reform the criminal justice system and reduce racial disparities.
• Providing services to people who have been impacted by racial discrimination in the criminal justice system.
• Educating the public about racial discrimination in the criminal justice system.
• Conducting research on racial discrimination in the criminal justice system.

Social workers can also work to change the attitudes and beliefs that contribute to racial discrimination in the criminal justice system. This can be done through education, advocacy, and community organizing. By working to address racial discrimination in the criminal justice system, social workers can help to create a more just and equitable society for all.

Sure, here is an example of a social justice issue, the discrimination, injustice, or inequality it represents, the social policies that have been put in place to address it, and examples of where social workers can be involved in supporting and promoting protective social policies.

Social justice issue: Racial discrimination in the criminal justice system.

Discrimination, injustice, or inequality: People of color are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system, from arrest to sentencing. For example, Black people are 3.7 times more likely to be arrested than white people, and they are 6 times more likely to be incarcerated. This is due to a number of factors, including racial profiling, implicit bias, and unequal access to quality legal representation.