Race, Ethnicity, and Corrections

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Chapter 19

• Race, Ethnicity, and Corrections

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race

• traditionally, a biological concept used to
  distinguish humankind into categories related to
  skin color other physical features

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ethnicity

• concept used to distinguish people according to
  their cultural characteristics--language,
  religion, group traditions
• ethnicity can be used to further distinguish not
  only among white individuals, but among African
  Americans, as well.
• it can also be used to even further subdivide
  Hispanics.

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crime, race ethnicity by the numbers

• fact men of color, especially, young men, are
  disproportionately locked up in U.S. prisons
  jails, or otherwise under control of the criminal
  justice system in America
• 1/2 U.S. prison population is black
• black men are 7 times more likely than whites to
  have been incarcerated at some time in prison
• 1 in 3 black men in their 20s is under
  correctional supervision in U.S.
• 56 of young black men in Baltimore
• 50 of black men 18-35 in D.C.

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race/ethnicity of US inmates
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incarceration rate of males,by racial/ethnic
group
number of men incarcerated per 100,000 of each
group
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of black men in prison vs. in U.S. population
of black men men in U.S. prisons vs.in general
population
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disparity

• the inequality of treatment of one group
  (compared to the treatment accorded other groups)
  by the criminal justice system
• disparity may be based on legal (eg, criminal
  record) or illegal, or improper, (eg, race)
  grounds

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discrimination

• differential treatment of groups without
  reference to an individuals behavior or
  qualifications

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Explanations of racial disparity in criminal
justice
alternative views why men of color are
disproportionately represented in criminal
justice system
query does disparity in criminal justice system
amount to discrimination?
differential criminality
racist criminal justice system
racist society
they do more (serious) crimes, with more serious
prior records, other characteristics warranting
prison
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self-report study

• an investigation of behavior (like criminal
  activity) based on subjects responses to
  questions concerning their involvement in those
  activities

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self-reported crime, by gender
of men women in US. who admitted committing
various offenses, 1947
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U.S. children in poverty, by race/ethnicity
of U.S. children of each race/ethnicity
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Explanations of racial disparity in criminal
justice
alternative views why men of color are
disproportionately represented in criminal
justice system
query does disparity in criminal justice system
amount to discrimination?
differential criminality
racist criminal justice system
racist society
they do more (serious) crimes, with more serious
prior records, other characteristics warranting
prison
incremental decisions all across criminal justice
system work to their disadvantage but no obvious
racism
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race of suspect vs. race of arrestee (rape)
comparison of UCR (arrests) NCVS (victims
perception of offender)
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race of suspect vs. race of arrestee (robbery)
comparison of UCR (arrests) NCVS (victims
perception of offender)
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race of suspect vs. race of arrestee (agg.
assault)
comparison of UCR (arrests) NCVS (victims
perception of offender)
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race of suspect vs. race of arrestee (simple
assault)
comparison of UCR (arrests) NCVS (victims
perception of offender)
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Explanations of racial disparity in criminal
justice
alternative views why men of color are
disproportionately represented in criminal
justice system
query does disparity in criminal justice system
amount to discrimination?
differential criminality
racist criminal justice system
racist society
they do more (serious) crimes, with more serious
prior records, other characteristics warranting
prison
incremental decisions all across criminal justice
system work to their disadvantage but no obvious
racism
criminal justice system is simply a reflection of
racism in American society
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evidence of broader racism

• crack cocaine (used in greater proportion by
  inner-city people of color) is punished 100 times
  more severely (by federal sentencing guidelines)
  than its virtually identical white-powder
  equivalent (used in greater proportion by white
  offenders)
• stronger association between unemployment rates
  imprisonment rates than between crime rates
  imprisonment rates
• relationship between racism criminal justice
  system may be reciprocal, perpetuating minority
  status criminality

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social significance of race and punishment

• opportunity costs for minority individuals
• cannot be earning a living
• cannot be attending school
• cannot be parenting
• cannot be voting and partaking of free society
• opportunity costs for minority communities
• alienation of entire generation of young adults
  from involvement commitment to larger society
• social disruption, due to absence of major
  segment of its adult population
• generalized suspicion of criminal justice system
  by major portion of society