Two reports released in the past week provide a startling rationale for the use of the term “mass incarceration” and yet more data suggesting that the phenomenon is not felt equally in our society.
The first, from The Sentencing Project, focuses on racial and ethnic disparities in state prisons. The primary takeaway: “African-Americans are incarcerated in state prisons across the country at more than five times the rate of whites, and at least 10 times the rate in five states.” Zoom in a bit and the picture isn’t much better. Although disparities aren’t as stark in Tennessee as they are nationwide, they still exist. One in 30 adult black males in Tennessee is incarcerated, only slightly below the average of 1 in 26 for all states. While black Tennesseans make up 16.8 percent of the state’s population, they make up 44.1 percent of its prison population. The incarceration rate for whites in Tennessee is (continue reading at the Nashville Scene)