Racial inequalities in American justice

Study Shows Racial Disparities in Prison
By DAVID PITT
Associated Press Writer

July 18, 2007

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Blacks in the United States are imprisoned at more than five times the rate of whites, and Hispanics are locked up at nearly double the white rate, according to a study released Wednesday by a criminal justice policy group.

The report by the Sentencing Project, a Washington-based think tank, found that states in the Midwest and Northeast have the greatest black-to-white disparity in incarceration. Iowa had the widest disparity in the nation, imprisoning blacks at more than 13 times the rate of whites.

Such figures "reflect a failure of social and economic interventions to address crime effectively," as well as racial bias in the justice system, said Marc Mauer, the group's executive director.

Vermont, New Jersey, Connecticut and Wisconsin incarcerated blacks at more than 10 times the rate of whites, the group said, citing Justice Department statistics from 2005. Vermont had a ratio of 12.5, followed by New Jersey with 12.4 and Connecticut with 12.

In Iowa, blacks are imprisoned at a rate more than double the national average. For every 100,000 people, Iowa incarcerates 309 whites and 4,200 blacks, the study said.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationw...,0,1652678.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

 

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i have a half sister who lives in Iowa (council Bluffs) and my father and step mother lives there, and my half sister has three children all by coloured men and one of those men got murdered and the other 2 are in prison, in fact when i was going over there i looked into to stats and found them interesting.

 

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coloured men?


peace.

 

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Poverty among blacks is where the incarceration rate comes from. The unemployed and under employed are less likely to have much hope or education. Often concentrated in the older and most economically depressed areas of cities and rural areas how could you not come up with higher rates of blacks in prisons?
America's Burden? White Racists.

 

Why doesn't poverty have the same effects on whites and other races? There are many, many more impoverished whites than blacks, so....?

Poverty is NOT the cause of high crime .....except in the black populations. Why is that?

Baron Max

 

The War on Murder also has a lot to do with it too. It is a tool of discrimination. Every study consistently shows that the rate of murder in the black community is about seven times as in the white community. Yet black people are seven times as likely to be arrested for it, and seven times as likely to go to prison for it:

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/race.htm

 

of course, americans want the whites in control. just wait until the next revolution

 

?????????????????

You have a problem with THAT??? The frequency is seven times, the arrest rate is seven times, and the imprisonment rate is seven times.

So exactly WHAT is it you seem to object to??

 

Read-Only,
Read only the post I quoted, and then read mine again.

 

Ya I know what you mean,
When I was unemployed for a while I did a little rape and murder untill I got back on my feet.

 

Sorry, I must be having a dense night.

I read the info in the link AND the graphs twice and reread your post as well. Since the ratios are pretty closely matched all the way through, I still don't see what you are trying to get at. Care to explain?

 

Fraggle Rock thinks that the "war on drugs" (America's drugs laws) has a lot to do with blacks being imprisioned, and he's right.

But, Fraggle Rock also THINKS "that the rate of drug use in the black community is about the same as in the white community".

And, then Fraggle Rock tells us he THINKS "that black people are twice as likely to be arrested for it, and four times as likely to go to prison for it" and Fraggle Rock simply say's the reason why is just racial "discrimination".

So my point is, If Fraggle Rock THINKS that blacks being convicted on drug charges four times the rate of whites is such a big deal.

How does Fraggle Rock feel about KNOWING that blacks are convicted for murder at SEVEN times the rate for whites?

Is Fraggle Rock also going to claim America's murder laws are "a tool of discrimination"?

Sadly, Fraggle Rocks thinking that the problems blacks have are somehow not the responsibility of blacks themselves, is the true "tool of discrimination".

 

OK, good - thanks, I'm with you now.

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I agree that it appears to be the norm to blame all black problems on 'white' society AND I'm getting very, very tired of it.

Yes, there WAS a point in time (not too terribly long ago) when that was true - but not anymore. I keep reading reports about how blacks in school think it's cool to act dumb and not learn anything because acting smart and actually getting an education is the "white way" and they don't want to be accused of that. (Besides the fact that it would also take a little effort.)

The ones who choose to fit the old balck sterotype (dumb, lazy, etc.) have done exactly that - chosen it. With the exception of the rich and well-to-do, black and white have the same opportunities to go to school, get an education, find a decent job and break out of the well-worn viscous cycle of povery and crime. Many have actually chosen to do so and have done quite well. No one is forcing anyone into a sterotypical mold. It appears to be the result of lack of ambition and sheer laziness (easier to steal than to work) that's the real driving force behind those "social problems." That and the self-defeatist attitude, "I can't do any better so why should I even try?"

 

What makes things worse is the many people that blame white folks for black folks ill behaviour, almost the same way a parent is blamed for their child's behaviour.

People who want to hold whites responsibile in anyway for black behaviour, are clearly people who don't see blacks as a equal.

 

Poverty definitely correlates with crime in all races. Check your facts.
There are many reasons why blacks are overrepresented in the system. They are suspected more often and thus caught and falsely accused more often. They are much more likely to be sentenced and sentence longer. They are treated differently in all facets of the justice system. They are seen as threats to society in ways that whites accused of the same crimes are not so readily seen as.

Take the wonderful crack era that ushered in one upswing in black incarceration. Crack possession and distribution recieved much longer sentences adn might higher rates of incarceration than cocaine a chemically very similar drug used more by whites. Whites had a much easier time staying out of prison or served much shorter sentences FOR THE SAME CRIME. This one distinction create differences in the tens to hundreds of thousands.

There is also profiling, such as the nefarious driving while black. Does this mean that the black guys pulled over because they were black should not be convicted for the guns in the back seat? No. It does mean that the white guys with guns in the back seat is less likely to get caught. That pattern skews the statistics across the board.

Corporate crime and White collar crime which tend to be more white people crimes are also treated with vastly more sympathy than other crimes.

A little caution might be wise too Baron Max. Just 40 years ago blacks were still fighting their way out of legal racism. And racism is still present all through the business community. Any group, any group that is made out to be less than human and has extra economic obstacles will show greater criminal activity.

This does not excuse individuals, but should lead to some caution about making generalities about race that your question above came very close to.

 

Complete bullshit. Making excuses does not help anyone, people make choices. Are you going to go to work or school or are you going to get high etc. It is really that simple.

 

Willy:

LOL. Even though you're a bit of a moron, you can post some funny shit.

 

So how does the crime rate for various races compare among people in the same income bracket? I have no idea, but I’m sure the statistics are out there. Since this is a science forum, lets see some actual useful statistics rather than a bunch of meaningless assertions.

 

Imagine a pot of people: Mix in 300 years of slavery along with another 160 years of its psychological rememants, then mix in segregation and civil diparaties for another 100 years. Then mix in an unjust and bias justice system. Then mix semi-segregated communites flooded with drugs, poor schools, many cops, few jobs and weapons. What do you get? The black community. There are no superior of inferior humans because we all come from the same scource there is only enviornmental differences which leads one to excell over another.