On the Racial Disproportionality of United States' Prison Populations

• NCJ Number: 88044
• Journal: Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology Volume: 73 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1982) Pages: 1259-1281
• Author(s): A Blumstein
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 23 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Racial disproportionality in U.S. prisons does not establish discrimination necessarily but does suggest addressing the life condition that contribute to the disproportionate involvement of blacks in serious crime.

Abstract

The differential involvement of blacks as arrestees, particularly for the offenses of homicide and robbery, which together comprise a major fraction (over 40 percent) of prison populations, accounts for 80 percent of the disproportionality between black and white incarceration rates. The remaining 20 percent of the disproportionality may be attributable to a variety of other explanations that are arguably legitimate but may also reflect some unknown degree of discrimination based on race. Examination of crime-type-specific racial distributions at arrest and in prison indicates that as the seriousness of the offense decreases, blacks are disproportionately represented in prison. This suggests that blacks become increasingly disadvantaged as the amount of permissible criminal justice discretion increases, such that discrimination must remain a plausible explanation for an important fraction of that effect. Other possible explanations include the greater saliency in cases that consider the socioeconomic characteristics of the defendant, such as employment status, and the fact that such factors correlate with race. Even if the relatively large racial differences in handling these offenses were eliminated, however, this would not result in a major shift in the racial mix of prison populations. Further research requires studies in individual jurisdictions, much more careful tracking of individual cases longitudinally through the criminal justice system, and major emphasis on less serious offenses that offer more room for discretion and more opportunity for discrimination. Tabular data and 42 footnotes are provided. (Author summary modified)