Unjust Stereotypes

So recently I've been picking up on groups of people being catergorized and stereotyped. There have been so many instances in the news lately where a new rule/law has been set in place that applies to a group of people. But some people actually do the right thing, or try to, and catergorizing them together in relation to their age/sex/race is terrible and unjust.

In so many instances, we don't know a person or their story, so how can we decide on things that will affect their life? (For example: a variety of people are in prison or therapy, for a range of reasons - doesn't mean we can catergorize them as a "prisoner" or being "in therapy" and hold the same view against everybody who is a "prisoner" or "in therapy."

I just hate how people can be put in the same catergory as someone and be treated the same - when the two people are in actual fact, completely different. We are all individual and have our own flaws, but we shouldn't be disadvantaged for someone else's wrong-doings.

At the same time, I can see how hard it would be for somebody to punish some but not others. It would take time and some would disagree with a decision made.

So, when a decision is made, should we let a problem slide away and continue to let people getting away with something...or should we create a new law and disadvantage some who fall into the same catergory as someone else, but has done the right thing?