[pjc50]

Racism and wildly exaggerated fear of crime caused people to effectively demand a justice system that worked like this. So long as it only ruins black lives and those of white people who are easy to dismiss as feckless, the rest of the voters are happy with it.

[talmand]

You're not going back far enough. I would say that throughout much of history there has been similar problems with all justice systems.

[pjc50]

Policing in the modern sense only dates back to 1829. "Much of history" covers a huge sweep of possibilities.

[talmand]

I'm not talking about policing, I'm speaking of justice systems which do go back quite a ways into history.