That's not the same as having a massive inequity in the legal system, but let's assume for the sake of argument that it is--black people are targeted by the criminal justice system simply because of the color of their skin. Why do you think that is, and what should we do about it?
Let me show you some interesting information I found (don't know how you feel about the Center for American Progress)
While people of color make up about 30 percent of the United States’ population, they account for 60 percent of those imprisoned.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, one in three black men can expect to go to prison in their lifetime
Students of color face harsher punishments in school than their white peers, leading to a higher number of youth of color incarcerated
According to recent data by the Department of Education, African American students are arrested far more often than their white classmates.
African American youth have higher rates of juvenile incarceration and are more likely to be sentenced to adult prison.
As the number of women incarcerated has increased by 800 percent over the last three decades, women of color have been disproportionately represented
The war on drugs has been waged primarily in communities of color where people of color are more likely to receive higher offenses.
Once convicted, black offenders receive longer sentences compared to white offenders
Voter laws that prohibit people with felony convictions to vote disproportionately impact men of color.
Studies have shown that people of color face disparities in wage trajectory following release from prison.
These are facts and I think it has come to this for a variety of reasons so it follows that it needs to be addressed at a lot of different levels, but exactly what the solutions are are way over my head. I would think stricter oversight obviously. Our judicial system is supposed to be fair and objective and clearly it is not. How can we have so much evidence that young black men consistently (not in every instance obviously but consistently) get sentenced to more time for the same crime and let it continue? The ripple effect of so many young men ending up in prison is devastating. Not to mention that incarceration does not reform people.
I happen to think that poverty is a major cause so maybe better quality public education in poor communities, maybe vocational options at high schools in poorer communities, free community counseling for parents and couples, information about proper nutrition and adequate health care...things along those lines. The problem with programs like this is that they can be taken advantage of so they would have to be heavily monitored and people would have to held accountable for results. I don't know, like I said...over my head.
I know this about human nature, we like to succeed and we like to believe we have it in us to make our own way, we want to take pride in our lives. I do think that programs in the past of robbed people of that faith in themselves. When you feel hopeless or like you have nothing to loose you make bad choices. Nobody WANTS to be taken care of, I think people surrender to it because they feel it is their only option.