Racial Disparities

America’s criminal justice system is marred by a startling and unfair impact on marginalized communities. People of color are disproportionately arrested, sentenced and incarcerated when compared to white people accused of similar offenses. For example, black people make up approximately 12.9 percent of the general population, but about 39 percent of those in prisons and jails in the U.S in 2008. Reforms to the criminal and juvenile justice systems must include a concerted effort to decrease the disparate impact on communities of color.

Here you can find JPI reports, briefs and factsheets on the disparate impact of the justice system on communities of color and ways policymakers and administrators can address these concerns.

Two New Reports Show Juvenile Confinement Reform in Five States: Spike Bradford, Richard A. Mendel, Feb 27, 2013; Removing young people who engage in delinquent behavior from their homes and communities and incarcerating them, is no longer the status quo in five states, say two new reports by JPI.
Bailing on Baltimore: Voices from the Front Lines of the Justice System: Jean Chung, Sep 26, 2012; Third report in the series on bail that connects the first two quantitative reports on money bail and the for-profit bail industry to the actual experiences of people who have been involved in the…
Testimony of Justice Policy Institute Before the Maryland Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights: Justice Policy Institute, Jun 15, 2012; The Justice Policy Institute recently testified before the Maryland State Advisory Committee on civil right violations generated from racial disparities in the Maryland justice system. As the U.S.…
The Disparate Treatment of Native Hawaiians in the Criminal Justice System: Sep 29, 2010; The report examines the impact of the criminal justice system on Native Hawaiians. Detailing how Native Hawaiians are disproportionately impacted at various stages of Hawaii’s criminal justice…
A Capitol Concern: The Disproportionate Impact of the Justice System on Low-Income Communities in D.C.: Sarah Lyons and Nastassia Walsh, Jul 27, 2010; D.C. has the greatest income inequality of any major city in the country, suffering from major economic and racial disparities that contribute to high rates of justice-involvement.
The Vortex: The Concentrated Racial Impact of Drug Imprisonment and the Characteristics of Punitive Counties: Phillip Beatty, Amanda Petteruti and Jason Ziedenberg, Dec 4, 2007; Since 1970, the U.S. has experienced a large and rapid increase in the rate at which people are housed in federal and state correctional facilities. Currently, the U.S. incarceration rate is 491 per…
Disparity by Design: How Drug-Free Zone Laws impact Racial Disparity-and Fail to Protect Youth: Judith Greene, Kevin Pranis and Jason Zeidenberg, Mar 1, 2006; Thanks to the work of concerned policymakers and reform advocates across the country, public discussions have been sparked in many states about the fairness and efficacy of drug-free zone laws.
Race & Imprisonment in Texas: Policy Brief: Jason Ziedenberg, Feb 1, 2005; America's criminal justice policies have had a disproportionate impact on African Americans, Latinos and other communities defined as non-White.
Racial Divide: California's 3 Strikes Law: Scott Ehlers, Vincent Schiraldi and Eric Lotke, Oct 1, 2004; California’s Three Strikes law has been plagued with questions about racial fairness since the beginning.
Race and Incarceration in Maryland: Vincent Schiraldi & Jason Ziedenberg, Oct 23, 2003; This policy brief will paint a general picture of the scale of overrepresentation of minorities in the state’s prison system, focusing particularly on the overrepresentation of African…
Reducing Racial Disparities: Reducing Disproportionate Detention of Minority Youth - Pathways 8: Eleanor Hinton Hoytt, Vincent Schiraldi, Brenda V. Smith and Jason Ziedenberg, Feb 1, 2002; Over the past two decades, the Annie E. Casey Foundation has organized and funded a series of projects aimed at safely minimizing populations in juvenile correctional facilities through fairer,…
Reducing Disproportionate Minority Confinement: The Multnomah County, Oregon Success Story and its Implications: Vincent Schiraldi and Jason Ziedenberg, Jan 1, 2002; The vast majority of youth in a detention center are awaiting trial for non-violent acts, and many should not be held in locked custody.
Drugs and Disparity: The Racial Impact of Illinois' Practice of Transferring Young Drug Offenders to Adult Court: Jason Ziedenberg, Apr 1, 2001; As a result of laws passed in the mid-80s, 99% percent of the youth in Cook County, Illinois transferred to adult court for drug crimes are African-American or Latino.

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