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 1970’s 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. Prison Admission by Race 1990-1999, New Sentence Only Total Admits, New Sentences Only Black Hispanic AmerInd Asian white

20. Wisconsin: White NH Total Prison Admissions Total Admits, Whites 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 Theft Drugs

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