Title: White Men Vs. Black Men Prison Statistics 2016: Why Are More African American Males Incarcerated?
Headings: White Men Vs. Black Men Prison Statistics 2016: Why Are More African American Males Incarcerated?
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White Men Vs. Black Men Prison Statistics 2016: Why Are More African American Males Incarcerated?
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Content: Why Are More African American Males Incarcerated? By Janice Williams @manhattanjan
10/05/16 AT 11:41 AM
A condemned inmate stands with handcuffs on as he preapres to be released from the exercise yard back to his cell at San Quentin State Prison's death row on August 15, 2016 in San Quentin, California Photo: Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Black people only represent 13.3 percent of the U.S. population while white people make up about 77 percent. But there are more black men in state prisons across the nation than there are white men. The latest Federal Bureau of Prisons statistics showed the white population was 58.7 percent in August, compared to the 37.8 percent of blacks being housed at federal institutions. At the state level, however, the department said that black male prisoners represent 38 percent of the population while whites males account for 35 percent and 21 percent are Hispanic males. Overall, blacks are 5.1 more times likely to be incarcerated than whites, and blacks represent more than half of the prison population in 11 states. FindTheData | Graphiq
Racial disparities could be the biggest reason why black males are so overrepresented in state prisons. A 2011 Washington Post report by Marc Mauer of The Sentencing Projec t and Georgetown law professor David Cole highlighted the differences in the number of arrests and heavier sentences black men appear to get compared to that of white men. For instance, in 2003, black men were reportedly 12 times more likely to receive prison sentences for drug offenses even though surveys have shown white and black people in the U.S. use and sell drugs at almost the same rate.