Re:Why Democracies Are Turning Against Chinese Influence
by AlexandrB on Wednesday October 31, 2018 @08:58AM
(#18345247)
> Although US prisons are not ethnically balanced, neither is the crime rate for various reasons including poverty.
About 1/4 of prisoners are there because of drugs[1]. Because of the US's punitive drug laws many of these are not dealers but users. In addition, African Americans are much more likely to get "stop and frisked" and get caught with drugs even where whites possess drugs more often[2]. They're also more likely to be arrested for drug offences[2]:
> 16% of those who sold drugs were black, but 49% of those arrested for doing so were black
The disparity in prison population cannot be explained away by crime rate or poverty demographics. It's the result of selective enforcement and preferential treatment for one group over another.
About 1/4 of prisoners are there because of drugs[1]. Because of the US's punitive drug laws many of these are not dealers but users. In addition, African Americans are much more likely to get "stop and frisked" and get caught with drugs even where whites possess drugs more often[2]. They're also more likely to be arrested for drug offences[2]:
> 16% of those who sold drugs were black, but 49% of those arrested for doing so were black
The disparity in prison population cannot be explained away by crime rate or poverty demographics. It's the result of selective enforcement and preferential treatment for one group over another.
[1] https://www.bjs.gov/content/dcf/duc.cfm
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_the_War_on_Drugs#Stop...