Racial Disparity in Arrest Rates as an Explanation of Racial Disparity in Commitment to Pennsylvania's Prisons

• NCJ Number: 186650
• Journal: Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 37 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2000 Pages: 200-220
• Author(s): Roy L. Austin; Mark D. Allen
• Editor(s): Mercer L. Sullivan
• Date Published: May 2000
• Length: 21 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article studies the extent to which overrepresentation of African Americans in Pennsylvania’s prisons is explained by racial discrimination in the criminal justice system rather than by overrepresentation of African Americans in criminal offending.

Abstract

This article employs positive aspects of the methodology of former studies in analyzing Pennsylvania data for 1991 to 1995. The total percentages of explained disproportionality are substantially lower than other studies. The same explained disproportionalities and those for individual offenses are also far lower than another study from national data, and low percentages of explained disproportionality for some offenses suggest that high levels of racial discrimination may be operative. In particular, implementation of the war on drugs seems fraught with injustice toward blacks. Explained disproportionality is fairly stable over time, indicating reliability for the conclusion that racial discrimination in Pennsylvania’s criminal justice system seems greater than some earlier studies show. References