Race, Gender and Prison Populations
America is a world leader in many ways. Unfortunately, one of these ways is in the percentage of the population in prison. According to recent statistics there are 2,319,258 Americans in prison. This is about 1% of the adult population. This puts us ahead of all other countries -even China (1.5 million in prison).
While the overall average is that 1 in 100 adults are in jail, the numbers are different when gender and race are taken into account. For all males 20-34 the number is 1 in 30. For black males in that age range, the number is 1 in 9. For women 35-39, there is 1 white woman in jail out of every 355. For black women the number is 1 in 100.
What is also of concern is the amount of tax money being spent on prisons. The national average per prisoner is $23,876 per year. Rhode Island tops the nation in spending at $44,860 and Louisiana is at the bottom with $13,009. States spend about 6.8% of their general fund budget on prisons. Four states (Vermont, Michigan, Oregon and Connecticut) spend more on corrections than they spend on higher education.
Interestingly, the increase in prison populations and spending has not been caused primarily by an increase in crime. For example, Kentucky had a 600% increase in prisoners while only experiencing about a 3% increase in crime. Thus, there must be another factor contributing to the increase.
Many experts attribute the increase to tougher sentencing. For example, the famous “three strikes” rule has lead to an increase in the time people spend in prison. An increase in sentence time increases the prison population by keeping the same people in prison longer. So, even if crime increases only a small amount (or even if it decreases somewhat), prison populations will begin to expand. To use an analogy, imagine a high school that extends the graduation time from four years to twelve. Even if the number of incoming freshmen remains the same, the school population will swell dramatically.
These numbers are rather worrisome.
First, there are the overall numbers.
While many people see prisons as a cure for crime (like a hospital is a cure for disease) this is not the case. Prisons clearly do not cure crime. If they did, America would have the lowest crime rates in the world.
However, the analogy between prisons and the hospitals does hold in one respect: having a significant number of people in either indicates something is seriously wrong. In the case of a significant hospital population, one would infer a major health problem. In the case of the prisons, it indicates a major social problem. In the case of a health problem, building more hospitals and not addressing the cause of the problem would hardly be an effective solution. While it would treat the effects of the problem, the problem itself would remain and thus would continue to put people in the hospitals. The same is true of prisons. Building more of them without addressing the causes of crime merely means we have more places to put the people who will become criminals.
Second, the disparity in terms of gender is of concern.
While women are committing more crimes now than in the past, most prisoners are men. The obvious reason is that men commit more crimes. Of course, the question remains why this is the case. Some suggest that men and women are naturally different in ways that lead more men to crime. Other suggest that it is a matter of differences in socialization. In any case, the fact is that men vastly outnumber women in the prison population.
In any other area, the feminists would be throwing a fit about such a great disparity. Obviously, most feminists do not complain about this disparity and some use it as evidence that men are bad. Interestingly, the factors that lead to the disparity in crime probably also lead to the disparity elsewhere. As Kant pointed out, the traits that enable success for good also enable “success” in what is bad-what makes the difference is the goodness or badness of the will.
Whatever the reason, the fact that men end up in prison in such disproportionate numbers does seem to indicate a problem. If it is a result of natural inclinations, ways need to be found to channel those inclinations in other ways. If it is the result of socialization, then changes would need to be made that would result in less crime. Obviously, this is not a simple problem and would require a significant investment in resources even to begin to figure out the nature of the problem. However, such an investment offers something that prisons do not-a chance to actually have less crime.
Third, the ethnic disparities raise serious concerns.
As noted above, 1 in 9 black males in the 20-34 age range are in prison. With such numbers it is no surprise that this is something that is easily noticed. For example, the majority of my black students are women. One reason why there are fewer black males in college is that a large number of college aged black men are in prison. In the case of women, the percentage of black women in prison is also significantly higher than that of white women. This raises the obvious question: why is there such a disparity?
The easy and obvious answer is that blacks commit more crimes than whites. Even if it granted that this is true (thus laying aside reasonable concerns about racial biases in convictions and sentencing) a very important question still remains: why, then, are blacks committing more crimes?
Some people might suggest that it is a matter of race-black people are more inclined to criminal activity than whites. This nicely fits into centuries of racial stereotypes, but is unsupported by any actual evidence establishing the claimed causal link between race and crime (that is to say, evidence that shows that the qualities that are supposed to make a person black also incline that person to being a criminal).
A better approach is to look beyond race and consider the factors that incline people to crime. In general, social factors (education, opportunity, etc.) have a significant effect on whether a person turns to crime or not.
In the United States, minorities are denied social goods (education, opportunity, etc. ) more so than whites. This denial helps contribute to crime in many ways. One way is that people who are denied such goods still have needs and ambitions. If these needs and ambitions cannot be satisfied by legitimate means, then people will tend to turn towards illegal means. Another way is that people who are denied such goods feel less inclined to respect and obey a system that denies them such goods. This would tend to incline people towards crime. Since minorities tend to be denied the social goods more than whites, this would account for the disparity.
Given that these social injustices contribute to crime, it makes more sense to use resources to address these problems as opposed to spending more on prisons. Diverting funds from constructive social projects (like education) to prisons merely helps ensure that more people will end up in those prisons.
This is not to say that all crime can be solved by fixing fundamental social injustices. But, it would go a long way in taking a bite out of crime.
Tags: corrections, crime, disparity, Ethics, Gender, Justice, Law, morality, prison, Race
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March 1, 2008 at 4:25 pm
In the United States, minorities are denied social goods (education, opportunity, etc. ) more so than whites. This denial helps contribute to crime in many ways
So how come minorities (Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Jewish, etc., etc.), most of whom were (and many still are) viciously discriminated against for decades, many of whom came to the US in abject poverty, fleeing prosecution and death….how come these minorites, having being “denied” opportunity (Jews could not get into college even for decades, there was a Jew quota against them, heck, hundreds of thousands of japanese in california were considered subhuman for a 100 years), how come ALL of these minorities have LOWER crime rates than African-Americans ?
March 1, 2008 at 4:26 pm
…and how come these minorities have ALWAYS had lower crime rates than the majority white population ? (even 50 years ago when they were treated as subhuman).
March 1, 2008 at 5:07 pm
If these needs and ambitions cannot be satisfied by legitimate means, then people will tend to turn towards illegal means. Another way is that people who are denied such goods feel less inclined to respect and obey a system that denies them such goods. This would tend to incline people towards crime. Since minorities tend to be denied the social goods more than whites, this would account for the disparity.
Wait, you forgot to bring religion and family status trends into the mix. That is probably more pertinant than race.
March 1, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Foo and Uppity Ktty both raise excellent points.
As Foo notes, the general crime rates for the specific minorities mentioned have generally been lower than that of white Americans. There have, of course, been Chinese criminal organizations and even Jewish criminal organizations in America. But, as noted above, the overall crime rates are lower for the specified minorities. This is obviously a phenomenon that needs to be explained.
Uppity Kitty does suggest two possibilities-the role of religion and family. Strong family units and strong communities tend to produce far less crime. Religion is often part of creating a strong sense of community. Many social critics have pointed out that the African-American community has suffered from serious problems in regard to the family unit and community. This raises concerns about why this occurs. One factor that seems likely is the effects of racism. While racism has been directed against almost everyone, African-Americans have been a special target of American racism for quite some time. And, of course, the historical facts cannot be forgotten-when most Africans first arrived in America aboard the slave ships, they generally did not arrive as family units. Even if a family was together, they would generally be split up when they were sold. In contrast, other minorities could arrive as families and build communities. The legacy of the evil of slavery is still being felt today.
This is not to diminish how other minorities were treated and the injustice they faced, of course.
March 1, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Even if a family was together, they would generally be split up when they were sold. In contrast, other minorities could arrive as families and build communities.
Riiight. I guess African-American families are still being “split” up for the past 150 years or so. I mean that practice hasn’t stopped for more than a century now, it’s still going on.
This is not to diminish how other minorities were treated and the injustice they faced, of course.
Except you are diminishing it. The Japanese-Americans, Irish, Chinese, Vietnamese, they were all treated as wretched sub-human dogs for decades and decades. (you may want to look up the laws passed in the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s etc., against Asians).
So why is it that TODAY (2008), Africans are committing 100 times more crimes than ALL other minorites (most of whom have been utterly discriminated against, in a vicous overt manner)
March 1, 2008 at 8:32 pm
There is no “cure” for crime, just as there is no cure for dirty dishes. You just keep doing what you need to do everyday. Believe me, the people who think that we ought to pass an M+M bowl around with violent felons, eating a piece of candy for each feeling they manage to talk about, these same people would demand “justice” if they or their families were injured.
Unfortunately, the black culture found itself gripped by populists who preached victimology. So, instead of lifting their people and showing them the right way to do things ie, education, proper treatment of women, the importance of family and honesty and hard work, we have an entire section of America that still buys into the lie fed them: “You are a victim and even if you do the same exact things that your successful neighbor did, you CAN’T make it. Now lets go find someone to sue…”
I say blacks can make it. I say that all of the other minorities that don’t have the same problems have proven this. The Chinese and Jewish populations have been lucky enough to have never had a self-defeating demagogue like Jesse Jackson to lead them to misery…
The leftists of the 60’s got what they wanted: A disintegrating traditional family, more irreverence toward traditional Christian values, and an “I’m OK, you’re OK” system of morality.
Yea shall reap what yea sow…
March 2, 2008 at 4:41 am
Another distinction between African Americans and other minorities is the manner in which they came to the U.S.: they were imported, as commodities, which left a lingering sense of shame that has defined white attitudes for centuries. Other minority groups came and stayed here voluntarily, for the most part, though of course they often suffered from systematic discrimination and cruelty once they arrived.
But the relationship between African Americans and whites is unique: centuries of slavery and de jure discrimination left a residue of guilt among white Americans that was transformed into a fear of retribution that intensifies racism. Needless to say, it also produced a sense of permanent exclusion among African Americans, who often (and correctly) feel that they have a very limited stake in the larger social and economic order. It also created a legacy of bitterness. All of these factors, I suspect, influenced the data reported in the latest study.
And I, for one, object to any implication that there’s something intrinsic (even genetic) to African Americans that makes them more likely to become criminals. These numbers have very deep roots in our historical consciousness.
March 2, 2008 at 10:15 am
Your post reminds me of this frequent comment from George Will on the very same matter. You can find a synopsis of his position here: http://www.mrc.org/cyberalerts/2003/cyb20030805.asp#3
Will, in essence, makes the same claim (prison population up, crime down) and fails to understand why anyone would not assert the obvious causal connection. As far as I know, he hasn’t made the same point with regard to the recent study. Since he never seems to change his mind or listen to objections, he will.
March 2, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Why should George Will change his mind on something that has an obvious causal connection? There is a connection between putting people who commit crimes in jail and less crime. The only question that remains is a society’s will to enforce its own laws, which has been effeciatly chipped away at by the acolytes of Jesse Jackson… and Noam Chomsky-quoting bloggers…
March 2, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Magus: There is a connection between putting people who commit crimes in jail and less crime.
But, to go back to the original post, that’s as stupid an approach to crime as hospitalization is to disease. It’s expensive, inhumane and does nothing to eliminate the causes of criminal behavior. I have little sympathy for criminals, many of whom need to be incarcerated, but a strategy of more jails and harsher sentences isn’t going to work.
As for this question of “will,” the issue always gets back to this: the will to do what, exactly? Keep locking people up no matter how ineffectual the practice may be in the long term? The will to hospitalize sick patients does little to address the causes of disease. To stretch the analogy, we need to look at crime as an epidemiologist would look at infectious diseases.
The rants about Jackson, Chomsky and ’60’s leftists contribute nothing to the conversation because they’re founded on unproven assumptions about cause and effect. Jesse Jackson caused crime rates to go up? (He’s been accused of a lot of things, but that’s a new one to me.) Radicals from the ’60’s caused the U.S. to have a stratospheric divorce rate (which has existed for decades)? You need a lot more evidence to support such grandiose claims.
March 2, 2008 at 2:45 pm
About families - When Africans were brought to this country they were often separated from family and tribe, so people were thrown together who had no basis for communication, no shared ethnic background, no common language, no traditions. The fact that they were able to survive and finally to prosper to the extent that they have is some kind of tribute to human adaptability. As we have begun to understand the effects of physical, emotional and sexual abuse, recall that this was the routine experience for the slave population, and if we consider discrimination as at least emotional abuse, it has continued to the present day, notwithstanding the fact of Barak Obama’s presidential candidacy. I’m not saying that African Americans today should consider themselves as victims, but perhaps that the rest of us should try to understand the very different circumstances of African immigrants. Other ethnic groups chose to come here, although often motivated by starvation and oppression at home. Every immigrant group has been persecuted to some extent, excepting the original white settlers, who inaugurated the theme of persecution by destroying the original inhabitants of this country, who still suffer from the effects. A national conversation about the long term effects of slavery, perhaps a national apology as was recently accomplished in Australia, might be a first step toward truly equal opportunity and justice for all.
March 2, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Geaghan,
You said: But the relationship between African Americans and whites is unique: centuries of slavery and de jure discrimination left a residue of guilt among white Americans that was transformed into a fear of retribution that intensifies racism. Needless to say, it also produced a sense of permanent exclusion among African Americans, who often (and correctly) feel that they have a very limited stake in the larger social and economic order. It also created a legacy of bitterness. All of these factors, I suspect, influenced the data reported in the latest study.
You haven’t proven causality either….
And, I’ll repeat my rants about Jackson, Chomsky and 60’s leftists, and also use a statement of yours: I suspect these influence the data reported in the latest study…
March 2, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Oh yeah, Geaghan, causality is virtually impossible to prove…Hume’s Problem of Induction
March 3, 2008 at 2:40 am
Magus: There’s a massive and copiously-documented literature on the pernicious long-term effects of slavery and racism. It’d mention in particular two of my favorites among the classics: Kenneth Stampp’s The Peculiar Institution and Winthrop Jordan’s White Over Black. With a bow to Hume, if you’re talking about the psychological effects of slavery and the origins of racism, I’m not sure what standard of “proof” and causation would apply over four hundred years or more. From what I can see, you’d rather score ideological points based on dubious assumptions about the influence of Jackson, Chomsky and the New Left than engage in an empirical investigation into the problems of crime and racial disparities in incarceration rates.
March 3, 2008 at 10:03 am
I’ve never stated that the things you’ve mentioned didn’t effect crime rates. AND–I never stated that incarceration is the only answer–but it IS part of it.
But none of your points erode the fact that almost every minority–many of them with white skin color, such as the Jewish population and Irish community–have overcome huge defecits in what we consider fair and appropriate treatment.
When the race card is played, and class warfare is waged, it is almost always by the Left…but the black community needs more people like Bill Cosby–That’s a great man. He doesn’t tell the black community about how White’s are keeping them down, he tells them how they can pick themselves up. Cynicism is a cancer, and once it sets in it’s almost impossible to remove, because it becomes an excuse for failure…
Crime rates in the black comminity have risen since the civil rights movement. So the causal relationship between crime and human-rights is dubious.
It’s been said before–it’s all about attitude. And when culture’s attitudes change, so will a cultures results. So do your part to tell the black community that they can make it here, white people like me don’t hate them, keep them down, or want them to sit at the back of the bus. Or you can continue to curse them with a cynical world-view.
March 4, 2008 at 8:49 pm
[...] Here it is. My comments are listed under magus71: http://aphilosopher.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/race-gender-and-prison-populations/#comments [...]
March 15, 2008 at 3:40 pm
I’s wanna smmmich - I’s gots to hab a sammich.
March 27, 2008 at 1:10 am
Excellent essay.
July 10, 2008 at 4:15 pm
[...] has been noted in a previous blog, many black men are in prison. This obviously makes it difficult for them to be good fathers. While [...]
August 7, 2008 at 1:27 pm
[...] Second, the United States has long been accused of having a strong racist undercurrent (or main current). This would have numerous effects such as an increased likelihood that minorities would be put into prison as well as the creation of social conditions that would incline certain minorities towards crime. I’ve written about this before. [...]