William Raspberry

In the following viewpoint, syndicated columnist William Raspberry discusses a study that documents racism against blacks and Latinos in the juvenile justice system. According to the study, minority youth are more likely to be arrested, tried, convicted, and incarcerated than white youth. Raspberry asserts that the different treatment may be based in part on how society views young male offenders: White teens are often considered to be “troubled youth” who need help while black teens are seen as thugs who should be thrown in jail.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What is the average jail time for whites as opposed to blacks and Hispanics, as cited by the author?
2. According to Raspberry, how much more likely is it that blacks will be sent to prison than whites?
3. In Raspberry...