Transcript www.ssc.wisc.edu

Racial Disparities in Criminal
Justice in Wisconsin
Pamela Oliver
Plan for the Talk
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
National Overviews
Wisconsin Imprisonment Patterns by Race
Age, Race & Imprisonment in Wisconsin
County Imprisonment Patterns
County Arrest Patterns
Prison/Arrest Ratios
Theoretical Implications, Conclusions
The Magnitude of the Problem
National Overview
Comparing International Incarceration Rates (Source: Sentencing Project)
World Incarceration Rates in 1995: Adding US Race Patterns
US Blacks prison 1995
US whites prison 1995
US blacks prison & jail 1995
US whites prison & jail 1995
Russia
Romania
South Africa
Ukraine
England & Wales
Scotland
Switzerland
Sweden
Netherlands
Japan
Italy
Germany
France
Denmark
China
Canada
Belgium
Austria
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
The Black Population is Being
Imprisoned at Alarming Rates
• Upwards of 1/3 of the black male population is
under the supervision of the correctional system
(prison, jail, parole, probation)
• Estimated “lifetime expectancy” of spending some
time in prison is 29% for young black men.
• About 9% of black men in their 20s are in prison
• 7% of black children, 2.6% of Hispanic children ,
.8% of white children have a parent in prison (at one
time) – lifetime expectancy much higher
Imprisonment Itself Is A Problem
for Black Communities
• Imprisonment rates are too high to be pulling “bad
apples” out from a law-abiding population
• Pulling a high proportion of men out from a
community has to impact women, children –
everyone in the community
• The experience of going through prison does not
improve an individual’s chances of contributing
productively to society
About Rates & Disparity Ratios
• Imprisonment and arrest rates are expressed as the rate per
100,000 of the appropriate population
• Example: In 1999 Wisconsin new prison sentences
– 1021 whites imprisoned, white population of Wisconsin was
4,701,123: 1021 ÷ 4701123 = .000217. Multiply .00021 by
100,000 = 22, the imprisonment rate per 100,000 population.
– 1,266 blacks imprisoned, black population of Wisconsin was
285,308. 1266 ÷ 285308 = .004437. Multiply by 100,000 = 444
• Calculate Disparity Ratios by dividing rates: 444/22 =
20.4 the black/white ratio in new prison sentence rates
800
7
700
6
600
5
500
4
400
3
300
2
200
100
1
0
0
1920
1930
1940
1950
White Rate
1960
1970
Black Rate
1980
1990
Ratio
2000
Black/White Ratio
Prision Admission Rate
US Prison Admissions by Race
National & Wisconsin Imprisonment Rates
Prision Admissions Per 100000
1000
800
600
400
200
0
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
year in 1900s
BlackWisc
WhiteWisc
WhiteUS
BlackUS
The 1970’s Policy Shift
• Shift to determinate sentencing, higher
penalties
• The drug war
• LEAA, increased funding for police
departments
• Post-civil rights post-riots competitive race
relations, race-coded political rhetoric.?
Imprisonment Has Risen While
Crime Has Declined
Crime Trends
Source: Crunching Numbers: Crime and
Incarceration at the End of the Millennium
by Jan M. Chaiken
Based on Bureau of Justice Statistics data
from National Crime Victimization Survey.
Figures adjusted for changed methodology,
shaded area marks change.
Property Crime
Violent Crime
Rape
Trends
• Prison up, violent crime down.
• Drug offenses driving imprisonment
increases, but drug use down. Drugs not
index crime.
• Larceny/theft is 52.5% of index crime
Current Illicit Drug Use
(Any in the past month)
•
•
•
•
6.6 percent for whites
6.8 percent for Hispanics
7.7 percent for blacks
10.6 percent for American Indian/Alaska Natives (this
is largely marijuana, rates for other drugs are lower
than other races)
• 11.2 percent for persons reporting multiple race
• 3.2 percent for Asians
• Source: 1999 National Household Survey on Drug
Abuse
Wisconsin Imprisonment Patterns
New Imprisonment Rates by State, 1996
California
Oregon
Nevada
Missouri
Kentucky
Arkansa
N. Carolina
Tennessee
S. Dakota
S. Carolina
Louisiana
Mississippi
Georgia
Oklahoma
Iowa
Utah
Texas
Alabama
Ohio
Virginia
Florida
Hawaii
Colorado
Maryland
Nebraska
Washington
NewHamp.
Illinois
Michigan
N. Dakota
Maine
Wisconsin
W. Virginia
NewJersey
NewYork
Minnesota
Pennsylvania
0
500
1000
Blacks
Whites
1500
2000
State Imprisonment Rates
• Higher white imprisonment rates predicted by higher
white unemployment rate and lower percentage urban
(R2=.36)
• Higher black imprisonment rates predicted by higher
white imprisonment rate (r2=.3 for this alone, a regime
control), lower percent black, and higher black/white
poverty ratio (R2=.72 for all three)
• If you don’t control for white rates, the only
significant predictor of black rates is low percent
black
• Data are prison admissions for the 37 states
participating in 1996 NCRP
State Prison Admissions per 100,000 by Offense, Race: US
homicide
robbery
sex assault
arson
drug crimes
property
fraud etc
assault
public order
other/unk
derived
0
50
100
150
200
250
per capita prison admissions 1996
Black
White
300
Prison Admissions per 100,000, by Race: Wisconsin
homicide
robbery
sexual assault
arson
drug
burglary, theft
fraud, stolen property
assault
public order
other/unknown
derived
0
100
200
300
400
Prison admits per 100,000 Wisconsin 1996
White
Black
Wisconsin Prison Admissions
Time Trends 1990-1999
1400
1200
Wisconsin: Total Prison Admissions
Wisconsin Prison Admissions
by
Black
Race
Rate per 100,000 population
1000
800
600
AmerInd
400
Hispanic
200
white
0
1990
Asian
1991
1992
White, NH total
1993
Black, NH total
1994
1995
Hispanic total
1996
1997
American Indian Total
1998
Asian Total
1999
Wisconsin Total Imprisonment Rates, White Non-Hispanics
Wisconsin:
White NH Total Prison Admissions
25
Total Admits, Whites
Violent
Imprisonment Rate (per 100,000)
20
Theft
15
Robbery & Burglary
10
Drugs
5
Other
0
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
Year
VIOLENT OFFENSES
ROBBERY/BURGLARY
DRUG OFFENSES
LARCENY/THEFT
OTHER OFFENSES
UNKNOWN
Wisconsin: Black NH Total Prison Admissions
450
Total Admits, Offense Blacks
Imprisonment Rate (per 100,000)
400
Drugs
350
Violent
300
Robbery & Burglary
250
200
150
Other
100
Theft
50
0
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
Year
VIOLENT OFFENSES
ROBBERY/BURGLARY
DRUG OFFENSES
LARCENY/THEFT
OTHER OFFENSES
UNKNOWN
Wisconsin: Hispanics Total Prison
Admissions
160
Total Admits, Hispanics
Drugs
Imprisonment Rate (per 100,000)
140
120
Violent
100
80
Robbery & Burglary
60
40
Theft
20
Other
0
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
Year
VIOLENT OFFENSES
ROBBERY/BURGLARY
DRUG OFFENSES
LARCENY/THEFT
OTHER OFFENSES
UNKNOWN
Proportion of Admissions
Involving New Sentences
60%
40%
43%
39%
18%
20%
0%
New Only
New + Viol
Viol Only
Whites Wisconsin Total
White Admissions Status
Violation Only
35
30
New Sentence Only
25
20
15
10
5
Violation + New
0
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
prison admits per 100,000
White viol only
White new only
1996
White viol+new
1997
1998
1999
Blacks Wisconsin Total
Blacks Admission Status
700
600
Violation Only
New Sentence Only
500
400
300
200
100
Violation + New
0
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
prison admits per 100,000
black viol only
Black new only
Black viol+new
1997
1998
1999
New Sentences & Probation/Parole Violations as Percentage of Prison Admissions
0.6
Compare Black & White Trends
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
1990
1991
1992
White, Violation Only
1993
1994
Black, Violation Only
1995
1996
1997
White, New Only
1998
1999
Black, New Only
Wisconsin Total: Probation/Parole Violators
700
Total admits, violations only
600
Black
Rate per 100,000 population
500
400
AmerInd
300
200
Hispanic
100
0
1990
white
1991
1992
White, NH total
1993
Black, NH total
1994
1995
Hispanic total
1996
1997
Asian
American Indian Total
1998
Asian Total
1999
Violators, White Non-Hispanics
10
Whites, Violators
Imprisonment Rate (per 100,000)
9
Violent
8
Theft
7
6
Robbery & Burglary
5
Other
4
3
2
Drugs
1
0
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
Year
VIOLENT OFFENSES
ROBBERY/BURGLARY
DRUG OFFENSES
LARCENY/THEFT
OTHER OFFENSES
UNKNOWN
Violators, Black Non-Hispanics
160
Black violators
Violent
140
Imprisonment Rate (per 100,000)
Drugs
120
Theft
100
Robbery & Burglary
80
Other
60
40
20
0
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
Year
VIOLENT OFFENSES
ROBBERY/BURGLARY
DRUG OFFENSES
LARCENY/THEFT
OTHER OFFENSES
UNKNOWN
Wisconsin
New
Prison Sentences
Only Only
Prison
AdmissionTotal:
by Race
1990-1999,
New Sentence
600
Rate per 100,000 population
500
Total Admits, New Sentences
Black
Only
400
300
200
Hispanic
100
AmerInd
Asian
white
0
1990
1991
1992
White, NH total
1993
Black, NH total
1994
1995
Hispanic total
1996
1997
American Indian Total
1998
Asian Total
1999
Wisconsin Total New Sentences, White NH
12
New Sentences, Violent
Whites
Imprisonment Rate (per 100,000)
10
8
Robbery & Burglary
6
4
2
Other
Theft
Drugs
0
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
Year
VIOLENT OFFENSES
ROBBERY/BURGLARY
DRUG OFFENSES
LARCENY/THEFT
OTHER OFFENSES
UNKNOWN
Wisconsin Total: New Sentences, Blacks NH
250
Drugs
New Sentences, Blacks Offense
Imprisonment Rate (per 100,000)
200
150
Violent
100
Robbery & Burglary
Theft
50
Other
0
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
Year
VIOLENT OFFENSES
ROBBERY/BURGLARY
DRUG OFFENSES
LARCENY/THEFT
OTHER OFFENSES
UNKNOWN
Conclusions
• Huge racial disparities, especially black vs. white
• Probation/parole violators returning to prison are a
major source of the rise
• Blacks show steep rises in new sentences for
drugs, while whites show no increase
• White new sentences are primarily for violent
offenses.
• Black new sentences are primarily for drug
offenses.
Age Patterns for Imprisonment
Wisconsin Total New Prison Sentence Rates (No Prior Felony)
1998-9 (annualized) By Age
New sentences by age, race
1600
1400
Rate per 100,000 population
1200
1000
White
Black
800
600
400
200
0
<18
18-19
20-21
22-24
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-44
45+
Whites Prison Admits by Age, Offense (New Sentences, No Prior
Felony)
Offenses by Age, Whites
80
Rate per 100,000 population
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
<17
18-19
20-21
22-24
25-29
violent
rob/bur
drug
30-34
theft
35-39
other
unk
40-44
45+
Black Prison Admits by Age, Offense (New Sentences, No Prior
Felony)
Offenses by Age, Blacks
1600
Rate per 100,000 population
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
<17
18-19
20-21
22-24
25-29
violent
rob/bur
drug
30-34
theft
35-39
other
unk
40-44
45+
Black/White Disparity Ratios in Prision Admissions by Age, Offense
(New Sentences, No Prior Felony) Wisconsin Total
Disparities by Age, Offense
100
Ratio of Per Capita Imprisonment Rates
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
<17
18-19
20-21
violent
22-24
rob/burg
25-29
drug
30-34
theft
35-39
other
40-44
45+