Factoid: Black Male Incarceration Rate is 6 Times Greater Than Rate for White Males
Posted by lunchcountersitin on November 3, 2009
Statistics from the Department of Justice indicate that black males are incarcerated – held in prison or jail – at a rate that is over 6 times higher than that for white males.
For every 100,000 black males, an estimated 4,777 are held in federal or state prison or a local jail.
By contrast, for every 100,000 white men, only 727 are estimated to be incarcerated.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prison Inmates at Midyear 2008 – Statistical Tables, March 2009 (Revised 4/8/09), Table 18
The Bureau of Justice Statistics report that’s cited above can be obtained here. If you want to go straight to the PDF version of the report, it’s here.
One result of this high incarceration rate is that the percentage of blacks among all males in prison or jail far exceeds the percentage of blacks in the general population:
Source: Calculated from Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prison Inmates at Midyear 2008 – Statistical Tables, March 2009 (Revised 4/8/09); Population stats from US Census Bureau
What explains these numbers? It’s a combination of things: African Americans commit more crimes; they commit more crimes that are likely to result in jail time (as a result of sentencing guidelines that, for example, result in more jail time for crack cocaine than cocaine powder); they are less able to afford high quality legal services; and they may be subject to discrimination in prosecution, the rendering of verdicts, and sentencing.
I will try to look at these issues in future posts.
Sebastien Jean said
Indeed the racial divide is evident signifying that this is no mistake but rather a strategic attempt to drive a particcular race to extinction.
Jeff said
Yeah, that’s what it is. You’re an idiot. Oh, the poor black man. Blah, blah, blah. It’s getting old. Now I’m going to apply for a scholarship from the United Negro College Fund… Oh wait, I don’t qualify because I’m not black!!!!!! Let me apply for the United White College Fund. Oh wait, there isn’t one because that would be RACIST!!!
Roe said
Jeff, youre the idiot….Idiot! Great comment Sebastien!
LauA said
Sebastien is looking for excuses regarding the out of control element of our society that refuses to integrate into the majority. Even now when young black men enjoy a prejudicial advantage in gaining entrance to jobs and schools they still choose to commit crimes that land them in prison. Taking the quick route to money will always end with consequences. There is no attempt to exterminate anyone in this country. Nice try but this isn’t Germany in the 1930′s. Anyone that breaks the law and is caught, is likely to be incarcerated. Regardless of age, race or religion. Blaming the government for your mistakes is immature and results in nothing but the same childish behaviors. I know many black men that take pride in being incarcerated. Explain that.
Jermyn Shannon El said
Does UNICOR have anything to do with this? Hmmmmmmmmmm
lw said
Sabastien Jean, you could not have stated it better. Notice how the moderator say ” Blacks “”may be”" subject to discrimination in prosecution, the rendering of verdicts, and sentencing”. Does not take a rocket scientist to see what is happening everyday to the Black family. It is called ” Black American Genocide”.
LauA said
“Black American Genocide”? How dramatic! Yeah, it does take place. But it’s being committed by young black men that refuse to care for their own children. That refuse to care for their elderly parents. That trash their own neighborhoods with gang violence. That destroy their own lives with substance abuse and alcohol abuse. Yes the genocide exists, but it’s carried out by the black man against himself.
PW said
I take issue with your analysis of these numbers by saying that “African Americans commit more crimes; they commit more crimes that are likely to result in jail.” Empirically this is just not accurate. For example using the DOJ’s website http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius200/data/table_43.html on all arrests in 2009 that documented the race of those arrested we see that in almost every category, with the exception of a few types of crimes, whites were arrested in greater numbers than African Americans. The breakdown of crimes listed by race is exhaustive, and it also covers juvenile crimes by race as well.
While it is the case that in some categories the racial proportions are higher for African Americans (the total of African Americans arrested for divided by the total African American population in U.S.) than it is for whites (total of Whites arrested divided by total white population in US), this should be expected especially since the white population is 5 times greater than the African American population in the United States (66 vs. 13% respectively). This however is another discussion.
All this being said, I believe another explanation is in order for these staggering statistics, one that is not as cut and dry as we are fed to believe. Race, class and gender (among many other factors) all play intricate intersecting roles in understanding incarceration disparities in the United States.
lunchcountersitin said
PW,
To be exact, African Americans commit more crimes per capita. Based on your fair criticism, I will update my text.
Jeff said
To be even more exact, 1 in 11 blacks are incarcerated compared to that of 1 in 45 whites. 40% of the prison population is black and yet they only make up 13% of the total population. Old whitey just bringing the black man down, right? Why is it that a white man walking through a black neighborhood has such a higher chance of being harmed than a black man walking through a white neighborhood? Hmmm. Blacks are more prone to violent behavior. Facts are facts. That explains why there are so many of them in jail. Stats are stats. Get over yourself.
Roe said
Jeff, You’re still an IDIOT!
AMLaw said
Actually if you look at DOJ statistics, ‘violent crimes’ are committed more by whites than blacks. Blacks usually are incarcerated for drug offenses, and not violent offense due to the ‘war on drugs’. Also, the statistics show another disparity, because the arrest records which support that whites are arrested for particular crimes more than blacks, the conviction rate shows that black are convicted more than whites, with harsher sentences. This all will effect your calculating.
You also should go test your theory before you assume that the white man dropped in a black neighborhood would be harmed. To the contrary, being a black women who has grown up in predominantly white neighborhoods and schools, have seen more drugs being done, crimes committed, and violent acts and thoughts than should be normal. You are obviously blinded to the truth…Which is expected, as you are a product of a country who justified hundreds of years of enslavement, rape, conquest, and murder, and need to write an amendment stating the obvious, that all men are free and should be created equally. It is so bizarre, the difficulty most whites have in recognizing basic human rights desires, and the idea of right and wrong. Besides, white is right, and blacks only get what they ask for. People have to be willing to change their thinking, take off their color blinders, so they can first “see” the problems that need to be fixed.
Mike said
Well…this makes me ashamed in being black….
Rod said
Never be ashamed of being black. Black people are segregated in large urban cities and usually live in poor conditions. Now this does not make it right to committ crime, however it does make sense. what is the government doing to help the situation.
Jason said
Black people are segregated in large urban cities and live in poor conditions? You make it sound like they are being held against their will. And I can guess without writing it just who you think has forced black people to live in those urban areas. With all the living and educational assistance programs out there, including those that are only for black people you seem to still come up with an excuse why so many are incarcerated. So really it’s not their fault that they form so many different gangs, poison their own people with drugs, shoot up their own neighborhoods, and ultimatly destroy the very cities that they claim undying allegance to. I’ll give you one example. There is a town called Plainfield in the state of N.J. This used to be known as The Queen City. The place was beautiful. Spectacular buildings and architecture. Then in 1967, the riots happened. Black population grew scince then and as a result the city is a haven for gang and drug activity till this day. To me it all comes down to choices and I don’t think it fair that the government should have to save people that make bad ones.
Jeff said
Are you kidding me? What is the government doing to help? I don’t know, urban renewal programs, welfare, government housing, free medical care, student financial aid, subsidized school lunch programs, food stamps. I could go on. How about you pick up your bootstraps and help yourself. There’s a unique concept!
War, Racism and the Empire of Poverty « Andrew Gavin Marshall said
[...] [45] Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prison Inmates at Midyear 2008 – Statistical Tables, March 2009 (Revised 4/8/09): http://allotherpersons.wordpress.com/2009/11/03/factoid-black-male-incarceration-rate-is-6-times-gre… [...]
bayerman said
1-3 black pregnancy’s end in abortion. Of the other 2, 75% are born to uneducated, unwed, teenage mothers. 1-3 black men between the ages of 18-28 are in jail, on probation, or, on parole. Is this the dream Dr. Martin Luther King was talking about? He would be ashamed.
They get what they deserve and no one should feel sorry for a group of people who by statistics ,resemble animals more then humans. They do more harm to themselves then “whitey” could have ever hope to accomplish. Just wait until the mexican’s are in charge….. they don’t even see it coming.
JBO said
The problem is a white problem. Yes, black people in the western world exists in a world full of paranoid white people who pretends that they are not racists but live in a vacuum of denial where everything is allocated on a quota and appearance basis. It is not unusual to find employers who employ one or two black people so that it can be seen to be abiding by affirmation action when in fact the industries are not as color-blind as the image of a society that is marketed for all to consume. They do not overtly practise racism anymore where “for whites only” signs are proudly displayed but subtly leave a master and slave mentality so that the white race are the ones who promote and demote others in America’s societies.
Prejudice still exists in the white society and will always as the black people are contained and managed. If it was possible to bring into fruition the Martin Luther King’s vision of an equal America, it will mean the removal of power from the white race in terms of employability, economy and negative stereotypes from white media (e.g. Mammy films where blacks are subordinated as servants and in servitude to their white Masters – after slavery was abolished).
Even though many whites are in denial of the devastation they have caused and their contribution to the social standing and esteems of many people of other races but especially the black race, in terms of attempts to remove their identities, confidents and ability to survive. All these were done in the process of brainwashing and imposing a false superiority and are still being done today. A recent example of this was subconscious manipulation in the film – Glory – with Denzel Washington – a propaganda film to glorify the white man and esteem it in his many endeavors. I cannot forget part of the film where the character played by Denzel Washington was whipped on the back with horrid bruises because he disagreed with a captain – I wondered if the captains had ever whipped any non-white soldier. Also when a captain shot black men who were suppose to be on his side after he commanded them to attack some white people – a display of hatred and power.
The media uses the representation card to indicate that most of their audiences are white but can you imagine what plays in the young white prince or princess mind when given the appropriate programming of powerful and honest cowboys and disposable indians. Most of their programming serves a purpose.
A lot of black men in America feel powerless and they need a lot of work done to build their confidence and self consciousness in terms of the reality of generational abuse by the status quo. Not long ago, it was acceptable in the white community to lynch and kill them at will without any retribution from the law. This is not an excuse for bad behavior but criminal minds and behaviors are derived from people who have little esteem and feel that they haven’t got much to lose.
The schools should also rewrite books and curriculum to tell the young black man and woman about true history as to what has happened and not label those who have oppressed and stolen as winners as it creates a mentality of a system and status quo of people who are arrogant and not apologetic for the horrid history which their forefathers are responsible for.
Yes, people who work in the justice system and law enforcement comes from the same “white people” who denied black people the rights to own guns like their white counterparts as a way to maintain that status quo of “masters” and to prevent black people from protecting themselves and take out retributions on those who attacked them. Yes, law enforcement was used to destroy and kill Black Panther members and those in the black race who vocalized their interest in the black cause were monitored and silenced by notable “white” institutions. You are telling me that all their hatred has gone away. Black people in those days received harsh penalties for any offense committed when compared to their white counterparts and that hasn’t changed mush either.
Yes, many whites still and will always see black people as animals even though the atrocities they have caused the world over does not compare to any committed by any other race. They often justify themselves and esteem themselves. The crime rate in Africa where black men do not share the same history as their African-american brothers are less, even though many do not have so much resources available. I wonder if Bayerman’s family kept slaves where the black men were seen as entities who were used to produce more slaves so his lazy and nasty family could enjoy the prestige of being a “white” noble slave owner.
The solution is one of identity and pride and a necessary separation. As long as white people remain paranoid about social retribution and try to maintain a system which benefits them and their children then the inequality will always exist and give rise to an over-confident group and a subdued group of people. Just like blind justice indicate that all are equal in the eyes of the law – what a white man’s lie. The law benefits the rich much more than the poor as they can pay for the best lawyer. It benefits whites much more than blacks. Prejudices are passed on everyday in the form of – hairstyles, accents, clothing, skin color and social standing to keep everyone in a group. The media accentuates this and sometimes subconsciously programs reactions.
Hayde said
Golly JBO, where to begin?!…
Probably the greatest hurdle to blacks overcoming their position of ‘inequality’ is the black, and white, political power structure that derives power from the continued discontent and oppression of black people. The plantation has been replaced by the housing project. The Master’s whip has been replaced by the welfare system. The slave economy of the antebellum South was not nearly as destructive to black families as the the welfare system has been. Slave owners had an economic incentive to maintain family unity to reduce runaway slaves. When 72% of black children are born to unwed mothers and young black males bear no cost or involvement in raising their offspring, the welfare system becomes the surrogate provider. The black community can rise no higher than the current rate of welfare subsistence. A black community not dependent upon the welfare check or the likes of Jessie Jackson or Al Sharpton won’t keep voting for them. The myth of the White Boogeyman keeping the black man down perpetuates the victim mentality that shackles the black community. Remember Jessie wanting cut Obama’s nuts off because he felt Barack was ‘talking down to the black community’ about faith-based efforts to improve conditions in the black family. Anything that doesn’t involve greater dependence upon the government and its proxies in the black political class is not allowed. A ‘successful’ black middle class family doesn’t need Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton, the NAACP, or the federal government and won’t continue to vote blindly for the very people who want/need to keep them on the federal plantation. Political power is the goal and a dependent black class is the means.
Blacks and black communities do not benefit from government programs. Read the works of Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams on the effect of affirmitive action programs on the black community. When 13% of the population have 38% of the abortions, something is not working, When localized black abortion rates are 5-6 times the percentage of the population, something is not working.
If the KKK were behind this, there would be riots in the streets, but since it is done under the welfare banner, it must be OK…
Conclusion/Solution???… Tough love has to be part of the solution. Black boys and girls have to be held to a higher standard than the gangsta trash talk of sex drugs, and violence. Slaves in the South risked mutilation and death to learn how to read and write. We’ve got two generations of blacks who shun the very keys of education and hard work in favor of the approval of pimps, drug dealers, and gang leaders.
LauA said
Pleeeeeeze! Poor thing~ Everyone picks on the poor little black American. BULLCRAP! I know more than enough blacks that have succeeded and gotten past the point that you’re apparently stuck on. They have PhD.’s from very good schools and you don’t hear them whining about oppression. They’re the ones you taunted in school for being too white. Yeah, remember them? Now they’re living in nice neighborhoods free of violence and gangs. Why? Because they earned it. Unlike you they didn’t complain and look for something to be GIVEN to them.They didn’t blame society for their own short comings.
Stop whining and go get well educated. Stop spewing this crap that will alienate yourself from the society that’s waiting with endless opportunities. Even in a bad economy there are endless opportunities especially for minorities.
mike said
i have discover that most white people are not mean but are just mistaken. it is a difficult thing to stand on the outside of another house and understand what really happening inside the house. from white perspective they can’t understand all of the additional road block because they are not person of color but if you are white and you really seek the truth read the book black like me.it is the story of white man who disguise as a black man and live that way and discover everything change.i am during ok even with the additional road block but i know it i had my same set of skills and was born white in america i would made it to where i am a little sooner
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CP said
PW has asserted some important points to consider in regards to this mass incarceration phenomenon. The rates indicate social, political, and economical disparity in the population and it might be worth noting that relations of power in a capitalist system are going to have manifestations of gender, class, and race inequalities and oppression.
Attributing criminality to being black, or any color for that matter, is not only ignorant but perpetuating the very issue that is being discussed here…which is the systemic racism that exist in society. Studies have indicated that there is no difference in the rates of drug use between whites and blacks for example…however, there are more blacks in prison for drug offenses. Let’s take a look at the laws or the historical progression of certain campaigns which has led to this issue. Perhaps that will initiate a more intellectual discussion than Jeff is capable of.
LauA said
The fact of the matter is that white drug users ARE in prison. There are simply fewer per capita. It doesn’t mean that you have to go out on the street corner trying to get rich quick selling drugs and then blame the law for locking you up. Nothing comes easy. You have to earn money if you want to keep it and stay out of prison.
It seems that every black response is “racism gets blacks locked up” Guess what? If you don’t commit a crime you can’t get locked up. Don’t tell me you know people that were set up. You have to be in a very bad circumstance to be set up to begin with. It would seem to me that if I knew the police wanted to lock me up I’d be squeaky clean.
The only people that can change how black Americans are perceived are black Americans. I don’t think quoting statistics on racism is going to get you very far towards that goal.
MindOfASovereignS said
Jeff, your ignorance is astonishing. Brushing the surface with these “programs” is not going to solve the problem. The black people as a whole are disenfrachised, marginalized and treated to believe they are worth less. They grow up in an environment where violence is the only way to survive. They have no self-esteem. They BELIEVE, from the get go, from the moment they are born, that the white man is better than them. And you, my friend, are one of the prime instigators of this. Your ignorant statements of black men are more violent just because they are black men is exactly why this problem is still going on till this day.
Even as a white person, I feel and understand the plight that the black people feel. They are marginalized on a constant basis and on a very general level. Everything we see or hear is in some way influenced by the media and the large, multi-national corporations and banking systems that have an interest in creating a marginalized world. A good example of this is the “War on Drugs” which till this day remains fairly unknown in the white community. The war on drugs was a system devised by Wall Street that produced and sold drugs straight to the streets of Black America. It is a pattern created by rich whites to enslave the poor black communities for the sole purpose of profit. Many black gangs you hear about today (the “bloods” and the “Crips”) are direct consequences of this atrocious “war” that has killed tens of thousands and incarcerated many more for simple drug use. More than ONE MILLION people today are incarcerated due to non-violent drug use.
In a capitalistic society, it is only normal that the rich, ruling class will take advantage of marginalized minorities to achieve what they want: profit.
The justice system and the government are directly influenced by this rich, ruling class and thus they have an interest in keeping these minority populations disenfranchised and marginalized. The problem of Black America is not only a black problem. It is a problem that involves the whole of the American peoples. It is one of many problems that will not be resolved unless the PEOPLE take action and do what needs to be done to stop these disgusting Supranational companies from disassociating us from a TRUE democracy, a TRUE freedom.
LauA said
You are so full of crap! You obviously don’t know a damn thing about the war on drugs. Do you really think Wall st. invests in drug cartels? Thats what you’re implying. No one can marginalize someone else. That’s something that’s done on the inside. The War on Drugs is well known to the white population. You’re simply ignorant to real facts. You’ve got a newspaper education about the war on drugs. I know thousands of white young people that have had serious legal problems due to THEIR poor judgement and addiction. The war on drugs didn’t make them pick up any illegal substance. Especially not anyone on Wall St.
It’s Multinational, not Super-national corporations. And they don’t stop people from going to the voting booth where everyone is equal. Our politicians are the result of voter apathy, not corporate influence. People just don’t vote so large corporations inherit the power of those non-voters.
Your argument is completely illogical. No corporation makes a young black man go out and rob a bank. They don’t make them shoot their neighbors over drug transactions. No one makes a black man stab another over a woman. Get real!
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Richard said
I grew up during the tubulent times of the 60′s, when race riots broke out across the nation. I rememnber my parents were afraid that a horde of angry blacks might visit our neighbothood. My father got a gun, just in case. The neighborhood started, oh so slowly, to change color. We had the money, we moved out. As a young man, I got a job in the steel mill in East Chicago. For the first time in my life, I was exposed to large numbers of blacks who worked there. I remember that they were for the most part like the white guys. Some good, some bad, most indifferent. There were a few of the white guys who use to live lived in Gary (Hyde Park), before that neighborhood change. They told me that when the blacks move in, crime went up. The schools became unsafe for their kids. Blacks were getting some power back then in the sixties with the civil rights movement. They were exercising that power to “get even with whitey”. The whites moved out. Gary became a hell hole. Hundreds of millions of dollars in tax payer money went into the city. God knows how much of it went into the politicians pockets.
Gary still remains a hell hole.
There may be exceptions, but it appears that in the places the blacks gain a majority and get political power, the area turns to s**t. Gary, Detroit, East Saint Louis, etc. This unfortunate phenomena is not isolated to the USA. South Africa is going down the drain, in spit of its massive mineral wealth. The country of Niger is rich in oil. This country should be one of the most prosperous in Africa, but it is another hell hole. Former European colonies of the Congo, Centrla Africa, Mozambique, Uganda, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). The list goes on.
This will only get worse as the economy continues to deteriorate. No wonder the government is doing all it can to prop the economy up.
What will happen if (more like when) the governmnet is force to reduce spending? When the flow of government money into the inner city ghettos starts to dry up?
Don’t think it will happen?
I’m sure they thought the same thing in Greece a few years ago.
Is it cause? Is it effect? Is it cultural? Biological? Economics? Is it Racism? Is it the White Man? The Curse of Canaan?
I really don’t know, and at this stage of the game, don’t really care.
I tense up when a see a group of black kids in hoodies at the shopping mall. I avoid their neighborhoods. I tread lightly when in their presence, for fear that a mispoken word, or look, or gesture, may have them chimping out on me.
And like my farther before me, I now own a gun.
Josh said
I agree with Jeff, it’s been what 149 years almost 150 since Lincoln has freed the slaves. How long does it take to get your act together
Al said
With an average I.Q. of about 85, how can blacks compete in an increasingly sophisticated technological society?
Al said
Where did everyone go?
Al said
How long does moderation take?
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