The justice system in the United States presents a challenging problem to its diverse population. The total number of incarcerated persons in the United States is almost 1.8 million. Approximately 2.7% of this population – slightly over 48,000 – is incarcerated in prisons and jails in Michigan (The Sentencing Project, 2022). An apparent disparity that the data about the criminal justice system in the region and in the United States in general shows is the rate of black people in jail.
The graphs below demonstrate that in the US, black people are approximately 5 times more likely to be in prison or jail than white people. In Michigan, this rate is even more pronounced – the risk for a Black person to become incarcerated is almost 7 times higher than that of white people (The Sentencing Project, 2022). At the same time, the demographics of the region reveal a different picture – black people are a minority group in the state; there are about 15% of black people in the Michigan population (US Census Bureau, 2020).
The discrepancy between the rates of incarcerated people and the population’s overall representation in the state suggests that black people are at a higher risk of being perceived as criminals, jailed, and convicted of crimes. The unfair treatment of black people is documented in research, and it is apparent when considering the recent incidents of police brutality against this minority group (Hinton & Cook, 2021).
To combat this issue, it is vital to educate community police about implicit and explicit biases (Kovera, 2019). Recognizing and actively deconstructing these prejudices can help reduce the number of unnecessary arrests and violent encounters (Hinton & Cook, 2021). To report data more accurately, community police can review the data and create a system for comparing witness accounts, victim reports, and crime statistics from the department (Walker et al., 2018). Inconsistencies in numbers can reveal potential biases or omissions in the justice system.
References
Hinton, E., & Cook, D. (2021). The mass criminalization of Black Americans: A historical overview. Annual Review of Criminology, 4, 261-286.
Kovera, M. B. (2019). Racial disparities in the criminal justice system: Prevalence, causes, and a search for solutions. Journal of Social Issues, 75(4), 1139-1164.
The Sentencing Project. (2022). Detailed data tool.
US Census Bureau. 2020: DEC Demographic profile.
Walker, S., Spohn, C., & Delone, M. (2018). The color of justice: Race, ethnicity, and crime in America (6th ed.). Cengage Learning.