Hunter
10/31/23
New research from the Prison Policy Initiative shows Iowa among the worst states in the nation when it comes to racial disparity in their prisons.
The Gazette reports black individuals make up 4 percent of Iowa’s population but account for 25 percent of its incarcerated population. That’s a rate of 9.1 times higher than white prisoners, tied for 7th highest in the country with Utah, Nebraska and Minnesota.
New Jersey and Wisconsin are far and above the other states, with incarceration disparities at 11.9 and 11.8 times higher, respectively. The national average is 6 times black to white prisoners, and every state in the country locks up black people at least twice as much as whites.
Iowa Department of Corrections Director Beth Skinner issued a statement, saying her department is committed to equal justice in the correctional system and creating opportunities for safer communities.
As a country, the United States locks up 664 people for every 100,000; in Iowa, it’s 582. This dwarfs other countries; the next highest is the United Kingdom, with a rate of 129 per 100,000.
A link to the Prison Policy study can be found with this story on the KCJJ app and at 1630 KCJJ dot com.
https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2023/09/27/updated_race_data/