racial disparities in criminal justice in wisconsin
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Racial Disparities in Criminal Justice in Wisconsin. Pamela Oliver. The Magnitude of the Problem. Comparing International Incarceration Rates (Source: Sentencing Project). World Incarceration Rates in 1995: Adding US Race Patterns. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Racial Disparities in Criminal Justice in Wisconsin
Pamela Oliver
The Magnitude of the Problem
Comparing International Incarceration Rates (Source: Sentencing Project)
World Incarceration Rates in 1995: Adding US Race Patterns
0 1000 2000 3000 4000
Austria
Belgium
Canada
China
Denmark
France
Germany
Italy
Japan
Netherlands
Sweden
Switzerland
Scotland
England & Wales
Ukraine
South Africa
Romania
Russia
US whites prison & jail 1995
US blacks prison & jail 1995
US whites prison 1995
US Blacks prison 1995
Nationally, 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
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
US Prison Admissions by Race
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Pri
sion
Adm
issi
on R
ate
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Bla
ck/W
hite
Rat
io
White Rate Black Rate Ratio
National & Wisconsin Imprisonment Rates
0
200
400
600
800
1000
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
year in 1900s
Pri
sio
n A
dm
iss
ion
s P
er
10
00
00
BlackWisc WhiteWisc WhiteUS BlackUS
The 1970’s Policy Shift
• Shift to determinate sentencing, higher penalties
• LEAA, increased funding for police departments
• The drug warm incentives to police departments to make drug arrests
• Post-civil rights post-riots competitive race relations, race-coded political rhetoric.?
Imprisonment Has Increased While Crime Has Declined
• Imprisonment rates are a function of responses to crime, not a function of crime itself
• Property crimes declined steadily between 1970s and 2000
• Violent crime declined modestly overall, with smaller ups and downs in the period
The Drug War
• Most of the increase in imprisonment is due to drug offenses.
• Drug use rates have generally declined since the 1980s, while drug imprisonments have increased.
• Black adult drug use rates are only slightly higher than white (see next chart), while their imprisonment rates for drugs are enormous
• Among juveniles, blacks use illegal drugs less than whites, but black juveniles have much higher drug arrest rates.
Current Illicit Drug Use Among Adults (National Patterns)
• 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 Prison Admissions
Time Trends 1990-1999
(Preliminary Data)
Wisconsin Prison Admissions by Race
Wisconsin: Total Prison Admissions
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Rat
e pe
r 10
0,00
0 po
pula
tion
White, NH total Black, NH total Hispanic total American Indian Total Asian Total
Black
Asian
whiteHispanic
AmerInd
Proportion of Admissions Involving New Sentences
39%
18%
43%
0%
20%
40%
60%
New Only New + Viol Viol Only
White Admissions StatusWhites Wisconsin Total
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
prison admits per 100,000
White viol only White new only White viol+new
New Sentence Only
Violation Only
Violation + New
Blacks Admission StatusBlacks Wisconsin Total
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
prison admits per 100,000
black viol only Black new only Black viol+new
New Sentence OnlyViolation Only
Violation + New
Total admits, violations only
Wisconsin Total: Probation/Parole Violators
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Rat
e pe
r 10
0,00
0 po
pula
tion
White, NH total Black, NH total Hispanic total American Indian Total Asian Total
AmerInd
Black
Hispanic
white Asian
Total Admits, New Sentences Only
Prison Admission by Race 1990-1999, New Sentence OnlyWisconsin Total: New Prison Sentences Only
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Rat
e pe
r 10
0,00
0 po
pula
tion
White, NH total Black, NH total Hispanic total American Indian Total Asian Total
Black
Asian white
Hispanic
AmerInd
Total Admits, Whites
Wisconsin Total Imprisonment Rates, White Non-Hispanics
0
5
10
15
20
25
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Year
Imp
riso
nm
ent
Rat
e (p
er 1
00,0
00)
VIOLENT OFFENSES ROBBERY/BURGLARY DRUG OFFENSES LARCENY/THEFT OTHER OFFENSES UNKNOWN
Wisconsin: White NH Total Prison Admissions
Violent
Robbery & Burglary
Other
Drugs
Theft
Total Admits, Offense Blacks
Wisconsin: Black NH Total Prison Admissions
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Year
Imp
riso
nm
ent
Rat
e (p
er 1
00,0
00)
VIOLENT OFFENSES ROBBERY/BURGLARY DRUG OFFENSES LARCENY/THEFT OTHER OFFENSES UNKNOWN
Violent
Robbery & Burglary
Other
Drugs
Theft
Total Admits, Hispanics
Wisconsin: Hispanics Total Prison Admissions
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Year
Imp
riso
nm
ent
Rat
e (p
er 1
00,0
00)
VIOLENT OFFENSES ROBBERY/BURGLARY DRUG OFFENSES LARCENY/THEFT OTHER OFFENSES UNKNOWN
Violent
Robbery & Burglary
Other
Drugs
Theft
Whites, Violators
Violators, White Non-Hispanics
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Year
Imp
riso
nm
ent
Rat
e (p
er 1
00,0
00)
VIOLENT OFFENSES ROBBERY/BURGLARY DRUG OFFENSES LARCENY/THEFT OTHER OFFENSES UNKNOWN
Violent
Robbery & Burglary
Other
Drugs
Theft
Black violators
Violators, Black Non-Hispanics
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Year
Imp
riso
nm
ent
Rat
e (p
er 1
00,0
00)
VIOLENT OFFENSES ROBBERY/BURGLARY DRUG OFFENSES LARCENY/THEFT OTHER OFFENSES UNKNOWN
Violent
Robbery & Burglary
Other
Drugs
Theft
New Sentences, Whites
Wisconsin Total New Sentences, White NH
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Year
Impr
ison
men
t Rat
e (p
er 1
00,0
00)
VIOLENT OFFENSES ROBBERY/BURGLARY DRUG OFFENSES LARCENY/THEFT OTHER OFFENSES UNKNOWN
Violent
Robbery & Burglary
Other DrugsTheft
New Sentences, Blacks Offense
Wisconsin Total: New Sentences, Blacks NH
0
50
100
150
200
250
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Year
Imp
riso
nm
ent
Rat
e (p
er 1
00,0
00)
VIOLENT OFFENSES ROBBERY/BURGLARY DRUG OFFENSES LARCENY/THEFT OTHER OFFENSES UNKNOWN
Violent
Robbery & Burglary
Other
Drugs
Theft
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.
County Comparisons
Compare Counties Whites New Sentences
Compare counties black, new sentences thick
Compare Counties, New Sentences B/w ratio
Compare counties, whites violations
Compare Counties, Blacks Violations
Compare Counties, Violations B/W ratio
Milwaukee New Totals
Milwaukee County Prison Admits (New Sentences Only)
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Year
Rat
e pe
r 10
0,00
0 po
pula
tion
White, NH total Black, NH total Hispanic total American Indian Total Asian Total
AmerInd
Black
Hispanic
whiteAsian
Milwaukee New Black
Milwaukee County New Imprisonment Rates, Black Non-Hispanics
0
50
100
150
200
250
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Year
Imp
riso
nm
ent
Rat
e (p
er 1
00,0
00)
VIOLENT OFFENSES ROBBERY/BURGLARY DRUG OFFENSES LARCENY/THEFT OTHER OFFENSES UNKNOWN
Violent Robbery & Burglary
Other
Drugs
Theft
Milwaukee New White
Milwaukee County New Imprisonment Rates, White Non-Hispanics
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Year
Impr
ison
men
t Rat
e (p
er 1
00,0
00)
VIOLENT OFFENSES ROBBERY/BURGLARY DRUG OFFENSES LARCENY/THEFT OTHER OFFENSES UNKNOWN
Violent
Robbery & Burglary
Other
Drugs
Theft
Dane New Totals All Races
Dane County Prison Admits (New Sentences Only)
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Year
Rat
e pe
r 10
0,00
0 po
pula
tion
White, NH total Black, NH total Hispanic total American Indian Total Asian Total
AmerInd
Black
Hispanic
white Asian
Dane New Black
Dane County New Imprisonment Rates, Black Non-Hispanics
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Year
Imp
riso
nm
ent
Rat
e (p
er 1
00,0
00)
VIOLENT OFFENSES ROBBERY/BURGLARY DRUG OFFENSES LARCENY/THEFT OTHER OFFENSES UNKNOWN
Violent
Robbery & Burglary
Other
Drugs
Theft
Dane New White
Dane County New Imprisonment Rates, White Non-Hispanics
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Year
Impr
ison
men
t Rat
e (p
er 1
00,0
00)
VIOLENT OFFENSES ROBBERY/BURGLARY DRUG OFFENSES LARCENY/THEFT OTHER OFFENSES UNKNOWN
ViolentRobbery & Burglary
Other
Drugs
Theft
County Drug Disparities by Time
Black/White Disparity Ratios For New Drug Sentences
0
50
100
150
200
250
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Racine Milwaukee WI Balance Dane Kenosha Waukesha Rock
67
218
15 20-24
35 29-31
Prison Entry From Dane County 1999, by offense and race
Prison entry from Dane County 1999
0 20 40 60 80 100
HomicideSexual Assault
AssaultsRobbery
ArsonCriminal
Theft/FraudBurglary
Prostitution/SexDrugs
WeaponsFamily/ChildPublic Order
DerivedOther/Unkown
Persons Sentenced to Prison
white black
Dane County Prison Admissions per 100,000 by race & offense, 1999 (Totals: Black 3361, White 87)
0 200 400 600 800 1000
HomicideSexual Assault
AssaultsRobbery
ArsonCriminal
Theft/FraudBurglary
Prostitution/SexDrugs
WeaponsFamily/ChildPublic Order
DerivedOther/Unkown
white black
Black Prison Admission Rates From Dane & Milwaukee Counties 1998-2000 (annualized), new sentences
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
HomicideSex AssaultAgg Assault
Other AssaultArmed RobberyOther Robbery
ArsonBurglary
Theft/FraudOrganized Crime
ProstitutionMfg/Del DrugInt Del Drug
Possess DrugOther Drug
WeaponsFamily/ChildPublic Order
DerivedOther/Unknown
Mke Black
Dane Black
White Prison Admission Rates, Dane & Milwaukee Counties 1998-2000 (annualized), new sentences only
0 2 4 6 8 10
HomicideSex AssaultAgg Assault
Other AssaultArmed RobberyOther Robbery
ArsonBurglary
Theft/FraudOrganized Crime
ProstitutionMfg/Del DrugInt Del Drug
Possess DrugOther Drug
WeaponsFamily/ChildPublic Order
DerivedOther/Unknown
Mke White
Dane White
Arrest Rates in Madison & Milwaukee, 1998-1999
Source: Uniform Crime Reports Data obtained from Wisconsin Office of
Justice Assistance
Annual Arrest Rate Per 100,000 Madison PD 1998-1999
68219
21384
44164
4909
01000020000300004000050000600007000080000
Arrests per 100,000
Black Juv White JuvBlack Adult White Adult
Adult Arrest Rates Per 100,000Average 1998-1999
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
Madi. PD Dane Cty Milw. PD Milw. Cty
WhiteAfr.Am.
Juvenile Arrest Rates Per 100,000 Average 1998-1999
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
70000
80000
Madi. PD Dane Cty Milw. PD Milw. Cty
WhiteBlack
Madison PD Average Annual Adult Arrest Rate by Race, 1998-2000
0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000
serious
Mar. possess
other drug
theft
simple assault
other property
weapon, misc
alcohol
disorderly
other exc traf
Mad White Mad AfAm“Serious” = homicide, sexual & aggravated assault, burglary, robbery, arson, auto theft“Wrong place” = loitering, curfew, vagrancy, runaways
Madison PD Average Annual Juvenile Arrest Rate by Race, 1998-2000
0 5000 10000 15000 20000
serious
Mar. possess
other drug
theft
simple assault
other property
weapon, misc
alcohol
disorderly
wrong place
other exc traf
Mad AfrAm
Mad White
“Serious” = homicide, sexual & aggravated assault, burglary, robbery, arson, auto theft“Wrong place” = loitering, curfew, vagrancy, runaways
Black Adult Arrest Rates, Madison vs. Milwaukee 1998-2000 averages
0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000
serious
Mar. possess
other drug
theft
simple assault
other property
weapon, misc
alcohol
disorderly
other exc traf
Mke AfAm
Mad AfAm
Black Juvenile Arrest Rates, Madison vs. Milwaukee 1998-2000 averages
0 5000 10000 15000 20000
serious
Mar. possess
other drug
theft
simple assault
other property
weapon, misc
alcohol
disorderly
wrong place
other exc traf
Mke Black
Mad AfrAm
White Juvenile Arrest Rates, Madison vs. Milwaukee 1998-2000 averages
0 2000 4000 6000
serious
Mar. possess
other drug
theft
simple assault
other property
weapon, misc
alcohol
disorderly
wrong place
other exc traf
Mke White
Mad White
Arrests 1997-1999 Averages: Adult Disparity Ratios
Wisc Total Dane Kenosha Milwaukee Racine Rock Waukesha WIBalanceSerious 12 18 10 10 9 9 34 15Marijuana Possession 4 13 6 4 3 5 13 8Other Drug Offenses 17 33 26 9 11 17 38 27Theft/Larceny 11 16 11 7 6 5 75 12Simple Assault 11 20 7 7 6 6 17 15Other Property 5 8 6 5 4 3 26 9Weapons & Misc 13 13 6 7 6 5 19 10Alcohol-Related 1 3 2 1 1 1 6 3Disorderly Conduct 7 12 4 5 2 5 17 9Wrong Place 1 44 3 23 10 6Other, Except Traffic 8 19 8 7 5 10 21 12
Total 6 13 7 5 4 7 20 9
Arrests 1997-1999 Averages: Juvenile Disparity Ratios
Wisc Total Dane Kenosha Milwaukee Racine Rock Waukesha WIBalanceSerious 5 7 3 4 4 6 9 8Marijuana Possession 2 4 2 1 1 2 3 4Other Drug Offenses 6 12 11 3 8 10 3 8Theft/Larceny 3 5 3 2 3 3 15 7Simple Assault 6 12 6 3 3 6 21 17Other Property 2 3 2 1 2 2 5 5Weapons & Misc 5 5 3 3 3 4 16 9Alcohol-Related 0 1 1 0 0 1 2 3Disorderly Conduct 4 7 4 3 3 4 7 8Wrong Place 3 3 3 2 0 4 5 6Other, Except Traffic 2 3 2 2 1 4 3 7
Total 3 4 3 2 2 4 6 7
Conclusions
• Drug war in Dane County (and Milwaukee County) is being fought “against blacks.”
• Probation/parole violation holds are a major source of arrests in Dane County, a major source of jail crowding.
• Large racial disparities in serious crimes indicate a real problem that needs to be addressed
Making Things Worse• High imprisonment rates (including longer sentences,
high rates of probation/parole revocation) are not a constructive way of dealing with the problem of non-violent property crimes (thefts) and drug offenses
• Enormous expenses to house these offenders in prison• Destruction of offenders’ lives and and mortal harm to
their families• Because of racial targeting of the drug war, the
harmful consequences of this policy are being concentrated in black communities, while the beneficiaries of the policy do not pay its price
Social Conditions, Political Processes, Crime, and Corrections
Laws,Penalties
PrisonInterests
Social &Demographic
Conditions
Crime
PoliticalProcesses
PoliceEnforcement
CorrectionsOutcomes
Feedback from Imprisonment to Social Conditions
Social Control, Deterrence
JudicialProcesses
Arrests
An Individual Life Course Model of Crime With Policing Added
JuvenileCrime
Peer &Normative
Context
AdultCrime
FatherAbsence/
FamilyDisruption
ParentalInvolvement in
Crime
ParentalUnemployment,
Economic &Educational
Disadvantage
AdultUnemployment/
Under-Employment
School Failure
Labelingand/or
InterventionProcesses
Intergenerational Effects
Imprisonment
JuvenileUnemployment
PolicingPractices
Imprisonment as a Cause of Crime?
CrimeUnemployment
FamilyDisruption
EconomicDistress
MiddleClass Flight
SpatialIsolation ofPoor Blacks
Deviant Culture(Gangs, Drug
Trade, Criminalityas a way of life)
ImprisonmentRates
+
+
++
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ due to Political Powerlessness
AggressivePolicing
LabelingEtc.
Processes+
+reduces ?
reduces ?