MINNESOTA - DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS - RACE AND THE DISCIPLINARY PROCESS

• NCJ Number: 67586
• Author(s): ANON
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 11 pages
• Corporate Author: Minnesota Dept of Corrections
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE POSSIBILITY OF RACIAL BIAS IN INMATE DISCIPLINE IS EXAMINED OR THE MINNESOTA STATE PRISON (MSP) AND THE MINNESOTA STATE REFORMATORY FOR MEN (SRM).

Abstract

THE MAJOR OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY WERE TO IDENTIFY DECISION POINTS AT WHICH BIAS MAY OCCUR AND DETERMINE AT WHICH POINTS, IF ANY, BIAS EXISTS. WITHIN THE DISCIPLINARY PROCESS AT EACH INSTITUTION, FIVE MAJOR DECISION POINTS WERE IDENTIFIED: THE DECISION TO WRITE A REPORT, THE DECISION TO WITHDRAW THE REPORT, THE DECISION TO CONVICT OR ACQUIT, AND THE SEVERITY OF SENTENCE IMPOSED. AT EACH OF THESE DECISION POINTS, THE POSSIBILITY FOR BIASED DECISIONMAKING WAS FOUND TO EXIST. THE FIRST DECISION POINT, THE DECISION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT TO WRITE A REPORT, ALTHOUGH ACKNOWLEDGED TO BE A CRUCIAL POINT OF POSSIBLE BIAS, WAS CONSIDERED BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE STUDY BECAUSE OF THE DATA-GATHERING PROBLEMS. IN ORDER TO CHECK FOR BIAS AT THE REMAINING FOUR DECISION POINTS AT EACH INSTITUTION, DATA WERE COLLECTED FROM ALL DISCIPLINARY REPORTS FILED IN 1976 AT MSP AND SRM. THE ONLY DECISION POINT AT MSP WHERE SIGNIFICANT BIAS APPEARED TO EXIST WAS IN SEVERITY OF SENTENCING; AT ONE LEVEL OF SENTENCE SEVERITY, WHICH INCLUDED ASSAULT AND ARSON/DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY (THE RULE VIOLATIONS MORE OFTEN COMMITTED BY INDIANS), INDIANS HAD SEGREGATION IMPOSED MORE OFTEN AND AT GRTER LENGTHS THAN FOR BLACKS AND WHITES. ALTHOUGH THE OFFENSES OF ASSAULT AND ARSON/DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY OFTEN RESULT IN LONGER SEGREGATION SENTENCES, THE DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN SENTENCE FOR THESE OFFENSES CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE HIGHER SENTENCE IMPOSED ON INDIANS FOR THE SAME OFFENSES COMMITTED BY WHITES OR BLACKS. FINDINGS WERE BASICALLY THE SAME AT SRM AS AT MSP, WITH NO SIGNIFICANT BIAS FOUND TO EXIST EXCEPT AT THE POINT OF SENTENCING. AT TWO LEVELS OF VIOLATION SEVERITY, INDIANS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE LIKELY TO RECEIVE SEGREGATION SENTENCES, AND THE SEGREGATION IMPOSED WAS USUALLY LONGER THAN FOR BLACKS AND WHITES COMMITTING SIMILAR OFFENSES. TABULAR DATA ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)