Damn.
i’d be interested in seeing the average amount of time sentenced and the time actually incarcerated among the groups. i speculate a disparity there as well.
These numbers are skewed. Often, non-white people are put into databases as white, because it is “easier.” Statistically speaking, this means there are less white people in jail than records show, as well as more non-white people.
I had a first-hand experience with this. Aside from the fact that it is plainly visible I am not white, I was directly asked what race I was, and when I replied, “mixed,” “white” is what got put on the paperwork. For the record, on government records I identify as “2 or more” when it is available. When it isn’t, I choose Pacific Islander (some time long ago I was put under the impression that you should choose your mother’s race if you are mixed, and have just stuck by that for consistency), and when I can actually choose more than one I choose Hispanic as well.
Also, because it is relevant to the work I am doing now, check it out: Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate. 1 in every 55 people here are incarcerated. The next-highest rate is 1 in 70.
(Source: anticapitalist, via iggymogo)
