1. Race, Ethnicity, and Corrections
Chapter 19
Race, Ethnicity, and Corrections

2. Race, Ethnicity, and Corrections
The Concepts of Race and Ethnicity
Visions of Race and Punishment
The View of Differential Criminality
The View of a Racist Criminal Justice System
The View of a Racist Society
Which is it Race or Racism?
The Significance of Race and Punishment

3. “race”
traditionally, a biological concept used to distinguish humankind into categories related to skin color & other physical features

4. “ethnicity”
concept used to distinguish people according to their cultural characteristics--language, religion, & group traditions
ethnicity can be used to further distinguish not only among white individuals, but among African Americans, as well.
it can also be used to even further subdivide Hispanics.

5. “disparity”
the inequality of treatment of one group (compared to the treatment accorded other groups) by the criminal justice system
disparity may be based on legal (e.g., criminal record) or illegal, or improper, (e.g., race) grounds

6. “discrimination”
differential treatment of groups without reference to an individual’s behavior or qualifications

7. crime, race & ethnicity by the numbers
fact: men of color, especially, young men, are disproportionately locked up in U.S. prisons & jails, or otherwise under control of the criminal justice system in America:
1/2 U.S. prison population is black
black men are 7 times more likely than whites to have been incarcerated at some time in prison
1 in 3 black men in their 20s is under correctional supervision in U.S.
56% of young black men in Baltimore…
50% of black men in D.C.

8. Racial Disparity in State Prison Systems

9. Explanations of racial disparity in criminal justice
alternative views: why men of color are disproportionately represented in criminal justice system
query: does disparity in criminal justice system
amount to discrimination?
differential criminality
racist criminal justice system
racist society
they do more (serious) crimes, with more serious prior records, other characteristics warranting prison

10. “self-report study”
an investigation of behavior (like criminal activity) based on subjects’ responses to questions concerning their involvement in those activities

11. Children in Poverty, by Race and Ethnicity

12. Average Family Income , 2004

13. “Myths in Corrections”
The Myth: The way families are affected by incarceration of young fathers is felt equally by all racial groups.
The Reality: Almost one in ten (9.3%) of all African American children had a father in prison or jail, and this compares with 3.5% of Hispanic children and 1.2% of white children.

14. Explanations of racial disparity in criminal justice
alternative views: why men of color are disproportionately represented in criminal justice system
query: does disparity in criminal justice system
amount to discrimination?
differential criminality
racist criminal justice system
racist society
they do more (serious) crimes, with more serious prior records, other characteristics warranting prison
incremental decisions all across criminal justice system work to their disadvantage; but no obvious racism

15. Explanations of racial disparity in criminal justice
alternative views: why men of color are disproportionately represented in criminal justice system
query: does disparity in criminal justice system
amount to discrimination?
differential criminality
racist criminal justice system
racist society
they do more (serious) crimes, with more serious prior records, other characteristics warranting prison
incremental decisions all across criminal justice system work to their disadvantage; but no obvious racism
criminal justice system is simply a reflection of racism in American society

16. evidence of broader racism
crack cocaine (used in greater proportion by inner-city people of color) is punished 100 times more severely (by federal sentencing guidelines) than its virtually identical white-powder equivalent (used in greater proportion by white offenders)
stronger association between unemployment rates & imprisonment rates than between crime rates & imprisonment rates
relationship between racism & criminal justice system may be reciprocal, perpetuating minority status & criminality

17. social significance of race and punishment
opportunity costs for minority individuals
cannot be earning a living
cannot be attending school
cannot be parenting
cannot be voting and partaking of “free” society
opportunity costs for minority communities
alienation of entire generation of young adults from involvement & commitment to larger society
social disruption, due to absence of major segment of its adult population
generalized suspicion of criminal justice system by major portion of society