The Race Problem Within The American Criminal Justice System
- Since 1980, the number of people incarcerated in America quadrupled from roughly 500,000 to more than 2.3 million people.
- Today, the US holds 5% of the Worlds population, it has 25% of world prisoners.
- African Americans account for nearly 1 million of the total (2.3 million) incarcerated population
- African Americans are incarcerated at roughly six times the rate of whites
- 1 in 100 African American women are in prison
- 1 in 6 black men has been incarcerated as of 2001
- 5 times as many Whites are using drugs compared with African Americans, yet African Americans are sent to prison on drug related offenses 10 times more often than Whites.
Why??
- Inner city crime leading to increased police presence
- "Get tough on crime" and "War on drugs" policies
- Mandatory minimum sentencing for cocaine possession
- "Three strikes" / Habitual Offender Policies