Racial Disparities in Criminal Justice in Wisconsin

1
Racial Disparities in Criminal Justice in
Wisconsin

• Pamela Oliver

2
The Magnitude of the Problem
3
Comparing International Incarceration Rates
(Source Sentencing Project)
4
World Incarceration Rates in 1995 Adding US Race
Patterns
5
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

6
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

7
US Prison Admissions by Race
8
National Wisconsin Imprisonment Rates
9
The 1970s 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.?

10
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

11
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.

12
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

13
Wisconsin Prison Admissions

• Time Trends 1990-1999
• (Preliminary Data)

14
Wisconsin Prison Admissions by Race
Black
AmerInd
Hispanic
white
Asian
15
Proportion of Admissions Involving New Sentences
16
White Admissions Status
Violation Only
New Sentence Only
Violation New
17
Blacks Admission Status
Violation Only
New Sentence Only
Violation New
18
Total admits, violations only
Black
AmerInd
Hispanic
white
Asian
19
Total Admits, New Sentences Only
Prison Admission by Race 1990-1999, New Sentence
Only
Black
Hispanic
Asian
white
AmerInd
20
Total Admits, Whites
Wisconsin White NH Total Prison Admissions
Violent
Theft
Robbery Burglary
Drugs
Other
21
Total Admits, Offense Blacks
Drugs
Violent
Robbery Burglary
Other
Theft
22
Total Admits, Hispanics
Drugs
Violent
Robbery Burglary
Theft
Other
23
Whites, Violators
Violent
Theft
Robbery Burglary
Other
Drugs
24
Black violators
Drugs
Violent
Theft
Robbery Burglary
Other
25
New Sentences, Whites
Violent
Robbery Burglary
Other
Drugs
Theft
26
New Sentences, Blacks Offense
Drugs
Violent
Robbery Burglary
Theft
Other
27
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.

28
County Comparisons
29
Compare Counties Whites New Sentences
30
Compare counties black, new sentences thick
31
Compare Counties, New Sentences B/w ratio
32
Compare counties, whites violations
33
Compare Counties, Blacks Violations
34
Compare Counties, Violations B/W ratio
35
Milwaukee New Totals
Black
Hispanic
white
AmerInd
Asian
36
Milwaukee New Black
Drugs
Violent
Robbery Burglary
Theft
Other
37
Milwaukee New White
Violent
Drugs
Robbery Burglary
Theft
Other
38
Dane New Totals All Races
Black
AmerInd
Hispanic
white
Asian
39
Dane New Black
Drugs
Violent
Theft
Robbery Burglary
Other
40
Dane New White
Violent
Drugs
Robbery Burglary
Theft
Other
41
County Drug Disparities by Time
42
Prison Entry From Dane County 1999, by offense
and race
43
Dane County Prison Admissions per 100,000 by race
offense, 1999 (Totals Black 3361, White 87)
44
Black Prison Admission Rates From Dane
Milwaukee Counties 1998-2000 (annualized), new
sentences
45
White Prison Admission Rates, Dane Milwaukee
Counties 1998-2000 (annualized), new sentences
only
46
Arrest Rates in Madison Milwaukee, 1998-1999

• Source Uniform Crime Reports Data obtained from
  Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance

47
Annual Arrest Rate Per 100,000 Madison PD
1998-1999
48
Adult Arrest Rates Per 100,000Average 1998-1999
49
Juvenile Arrest Rates Per 100,000 Average
1998-1999
50
Madison PD Average Annual Adult Arrest Rate by
Race, 1998-2000
Serious homicide, sexual aggravated
assault, burglary, robbery, arson, auto
theft Wrong place loitering, curfew,
vagrancy, runaways
51
Madison PD Average Annual Juvenile Arrest Rate by
Race, 1998-2000
Serious homicide, sexual aggravated
assault, burglary, robbery, arson, auto
theft Wrong place loitering, curfew,
vagrancy, runaways
52
Black Adult Arrest Rates, Madison vs. Milwaukee
1998-2000 averages
53
Black Juvenile Arrest Rates, Madison vs.
Milwaukee 1998-2000 averages
54
White Juvenile Arrest Rates, Madison vs.
Milwaukee 1998-2000 averages
55
Arrests 1997-1999 Averages Adult Disparity Ratios
56
Arrests 1997-1999 Averages Juvenile Disparity
Ratios
 
57
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

58
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

59
Social Conditions, Political Processes, Crime,
and Corrections
60
An Individual Life Course Model of Crime With
Policing Added
61
Imprisonment as a Cause of Crime?