NCJ Number
75826
Date Published
1980
Length
58 pages
Annotation
The overrepresentation of black males in the U.S. prison population is discussed and data supported by extensive statistical data.
Abstract
Although blacks comprised only 22.6 million (about 11.1 percent) of the total U.S. population in 1970, they accounted for about 46.4 percent of the 178,914 persons in State correctional facilities on December 31, 1973. The rate of incarceration for blacks was 368 per 100,000, compared to 46.3 for whites. Population estimates for 1976 indicated that blacks made up 11.5 percent of the 211.5 million Americans, while a correctional facility survey for August 1, 1979, revealed that 47.8 percent of the prison population was comprised of blacks. From 1973 to 1979, the black rate of incarceration rose by 47.9 percent, compared to a rise of only 40.6 percent among whites. Additional data are given on regional and State disparities, changes by State, and the sex variable. The need for more detailed study of the problem is emphasized. Statistics must be obtained which explore the connection, if any, between crime rates and rates of incarceration, particularly as they involve blacks. However, black overrepresentation in arrest statistics may not be sufficient to explain radically disproportionate rates of imprisonment. Racial discrimination in the criminal justice process may be a significant cause for these differences. Footnotes, a 17-item bibliography, and numerous data tables are included.