Q&A 5, Second Answer

The basic form of my question is: Is racial profiling actively harmful to crime prevention efforts?

I think the answer is yes, and very much so.  Firstly, racial profiling does not actually cause investigation only into members of the targeted group; many people may seem as though they belong to the group, but are not actually part of it.  For example, when targeting Middle Eastern people, security agents often end up investigating a large number of Italian people, who are quite outside the target group.  Even if profiling measures were more accurate, the idea is still inefficient; investigating innocent Middle Eastern tourists can easily distract security agents from catching a mixed-heritage criminal.  Also, dangerous groups are typically well-informed, so if a terrorist organisation discovers that racial profiling measures are targeting people who look a certain way, they can simply find agents who look different.

Secondly, racial profiling fosters resentment among people who it targets.  If Japanese people, for example, were targeted on suspicion of carrying bombs, then many innocent members of that group would likely become angry with this discriminatory attitude, and possibly consider becoming bombers.

Lastly, racial profiling is undeniably discriminatory.  Targeting certain groups of people for heightened investigation reinforces artificial boundaries between people, and supports stereotypes and other forms of discrimination.  Particularly when the targeted group is already subject to some form of prejudice, racial profiling can serve as yet another manifestation of social inequality and injustice, and social inequality is considerably likely to lead to some form of rebellion - whether it be picketing, boycotting, or terrorism.