John Derbyshire

Despite widespread public distaste for the practice, racial profiling is a useful tool in criminal justice, John Derbyshire claims in the following viewpoint. He maintains that although police officers do make assumptions about potential criminals based on prejudice, the practice enables officers to make the best use of their time and resources. According to Derbyshire, arguments against racial profiling ignore the fact that African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to commit crimes and that placing a ban on racial profiling would lead to massive declines in arrests. Derbyshire is a novelist and contributing editor to National Review.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. In Derbyshire’s opinion, what event led to an increase in the use of the term “racial profiling”?
2. What did Jesse Jackson confess in 1993?
3. What does Derbyshire think...