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Simple English definitions for legal terms
racial profiling
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A quick definition of racial profiling:
Racial profiling is when police officers or other law enforcement officials use a person's race, ethnicity, or national origin as a reason to suspect them of committing a crime. This means that people who belong to certain racial or ethnic groups may be unfairly targeted by police, even if they haven't done anything wrong. For example, some police officers might assume that all African American men are more likely to be involved in criminal activity, and stop them more often than other people. This is not fair or just, and can lead to discrimination and mistreatment of innocent people.
A more thorough explanation:
Racial profiling is a law enforcement practice where race, national origin, or ethnicity is used as a reason to suspect someone of criminal activity. For example, if a police officer stops a disproportionate number of African-American drivers just because they assume they are more likely to be involved in criminal activity, that is racial profiling.
After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, racial profiling was also used to search and interrogate Middle Eastern men at airports. This is also an example of racial profiling because the only reason they were being targeted was because of their ethnicity.
Racial profiling is unfair and discriminatory because it assumes that someone is guilty based on their race or ethnicity, rather than actual evidence of criminal activity. It can lead to innocent people being targeted and harassed by law enforcement, which is a violation of their civil rights.