Date

8-18-2022

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

This research outlines how racism is prevalent in the court system in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. When looking at research of racism in Massachusetts’ courts, specifically from the Harvard Law Report titled, “Racial Disparities in Massachusetts Criminal System,” published in 2020, I became intrigued with the topic. This raised the research question of is racism prevalent in Barnstable County’s judicial system. This study consists of interviews with defense attorneys from Barnstable County, detailing their personal experiences and thoughts on racism in the courts. This study demonstrates that there is racism in this court, however it tends to go unnoticed due to the county’s primarily white population. Majority of interviews suggest that the police officers in Barnstable County contribute heavily to the racism that is seen in the courts by racially profiling during traffic stops.

Department

Criminal Justice

Thesis Comittee

Dr. Emily Brissette, Thesis Advisor
Dr. Mike King, Committee Member
Prof. Stephen Simms, Committee Member

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