NCJ Number
139605
Journal
Corrections Compendium Volume: 15 Issue: 2 Dated: (March 1990) Pages: 1,4- 7
Date Published
1990
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Using statistics from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the Bureau of the Census, this analysis focuses on the rates at which different segments of the 20-29 age group come under the control of the criminal justice system. The analysis looks at the total number of persons in State and Federal prisons, jail, probation, and parole and compares rates of criminal justice involvement by race, sex, and ethnicity.
Abstract
The findings show that, while 23 percent of black males in the 20-29 age group are under criminal justice control at any given time, only 6.2 percent of the comparable white population is in the same situation. Just over 10 percent of the Hispanic male population is involved in the criminal justice system. While the proportion of women in the criminal justice system is much lower than for males, the racial proportions are similar. The survey found that the number of young black men under criminal justice control is greater than the number of black men of all ages enrolled in college. While crime rates rose by 2 percent between 1979 and 1988, the number of prison inmates doubled. This analysis has far-reaching implications in terms of the impact on life prospects for black males, impact on the black community, and failure of the "get tough" approach to crime control and the war on drugs. This author suggests that community-based sentencing options should include victim restitution, community service, intensive probation supervision, treatment programs, employment and education, and community corrections programs. 1 table and 1 figure