Looking Closer at Prison Populations
After being introduced to “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander, I became curious on whether these discrepancies of race remained in the state level. Through searching, I was able to find the most recent information on the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ website. The most recent information available on the census of prisoners was based on a census from 2016. This first table on page eight of the full report describes ten years of general demographic characteristics from 2006 to 2016. In the last three columns, it is obvious that Alexander’s argument is true, based on the unequal rates of imprisonment. Tables nine and ten illustrate imprisonment rates based on sex, race, hispanic origin, and age. Based on this information, it is evident that males are more likely to be sentenced and that those aged 25-34 are more likely to be sentenced. Not only is age prominent, but also more black males are sentenced compared to white males, further proving Alexander’s argument.