Understanding incarcerated populations

AORN Journal,  March, 2002  by Cheryl L. Cooke

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Incarceration and its effects on communities of color. Most of the people incarcerated in the United States are people of color, and the majority of these individuals are men and are either Hispanic or African American. On June 30, 2000, approximately 12% of all African American men in their twenties and early thirties were incarcerated. This compares to 4% of Hispanic males and 1.7 % of Caucasian males. Of the total number of men incarcerated on that date in federal or state prisons or local jails, almost 800,000 were African American men of non-Hispanic origin, making up approximately 45% of the total prison population. (14) In Washington, DC, and Baltimore, 1991 estimates show that between 42% and 56% of the African American male population between the ages of 18 and 35 was under some form of correctional control. (15) The number of men of color who are incarcerated increased significantly after the initiation of the war on drugs and the changes made to the US drug and sentencing policy, which was enacted in the mid-1980s.

It is important to note that people of color are not committing a significantly greater number of crimes. They are, however, incarcerated more frequently for the crimes they commit. (16) One author states that between 44% and 47% of arrests for violent crimes are of African American men, compared with arrest rates for violent crimes of Caucasian men of 50% to 54%. (17) Another author suggests that although high at 45%, the percentage of arrests of African American men for violent offenses (eg, murder, aggravated assault, robbery, rape) has remained relatively stable during the past 10 years, with a downward trend. (18) It is not that African American men are committing an increasing number of crimes but that disproportionate punishment for African Americans has worsened. (19)

Much of the disparity in who goes to prison and who does not can be explained by significant differences in drug sentencing policies. One example is what happens when a person is convicted of possessing cocaine. Possession of crack cocaine, a crystallized form of powder cocaine, carries a far greater penalty than does possession of up to five times the amount of powder cocaine. This disparity benefits those who are able to afford the more expensive drug (ie, powder cocaine) with a lower risk of incarceration. Data from 1993 show that up to 88% of all inmates incarcerated for cocaine violations in federal prisons were African American. (20)

Incarceration and its effects on families. The loss of a male family member to incarceration is likely to have psychological, developmental, and behavioral effects on the children of men who are incarcerated. (21) Data from 1997 show that there are 1.5 million children with a parent who currently is incarcerated, with estimates of up to 10 million children younger than age 18 who have a parent who was incarcerated in the past. (22) Children whose parents are incarcerated make up some of the "most at-risk, yet least visible" populations. (23) Ninety percent of children of men who are incarcerated remain in the custody of their biological mothers during their father's incarceration. (24)