The document discusses racial disparities in the US criminal justice system. It notes that while people of color make up 30% of the population, they account for 60% of the prison population, which has grown 700% from 1970 to 2005. Black men are disproportionately affected, with 1 in 15 being incarcerated compared to 1 in 106 white men. The document cites statistics showing that 1 in 3 black men can expect to go to prison and that blacks and Hispanics are around 3 times more likely to be searched during traffic stops than white motorists.

1. 1
THE
WHEEL
SPEAKS
ON
2013
–
Realistic
Explicit
Statistics?
Statistics
don't
necessarily
tell
you
everything
in
particularly
when
we
assess
problematic
issues
that
effect
society
such
as
crime
and
drugs.
For
instance
the
number
of
people
incarcerated
in
this
country
in
particularly
the
lopsided
statistics
when
it
comes
down
to
a
percentage
of
African
American
people
incarcerated.
Although
it’s
a
known
fact
that
has
been
spoken
of
for
decades
it
seems
to
again
be
resurfacing
when
it
comes
down
to
the
way
across
the
country
major
cities
are
beginning
to
corral
or
run
up
the
youth
throughout
urban
communities.
Cities
are
transitioned
and
when
I
speak
of
transitioning
I
am
specifically
saying
it’s
a
process
or
a
period
of
changing
from
one
state
or
condition
to
another.
Sometimes
the
transition
is
smooth
and
at
times
the
transition
can
be
rough
and
all
don’t
buy
in
or
see
the
directive
or
simply
see
nothing
to
gain
in
the
transitioning
progress.
Promises
are
made
and
promises
are
broken
and
people
will
be
forgotten
as
well
and
sadly
there
will
be
those
who
even
until
the
reality
kicks
them
in
the
ass
still
won’t
get
it.
And
although
it
may
be
necessary
to
use
methods
that
may
seem
extreme
like
having
stings
or
raids
to
remove
certain
individuals
who
have
been
reclassified
as
undesirable
it
should
be
recognized
that
many
have
never
had
exposure
to
anything
in
these
same
communities
in
which
was
created
for
those
who
may
have
even
aspired
to
be
anything?

2. 2
I
remember
programs
being
snatched
from
the
inner
cities
trades
being
non
existent
and
eventually
the
flood
gates
opening
within
correctional
facilities
all
around
the
country.
Cattle
is
a
classic
example
of
how
communities
are
migrated
and
kept
together
but
not
all
livestock
is
considered
to
be
domesticable
and
before
those
who
will
take
offense
to
the
comparison
try
to
overlook
the
real
issue
I’ll
go
further
with
what
is
of
course
a
personal
assessment.
I
come
from
a
city
like
so
many
throughout
the
United
States
presently
where
exclusivity
in
the
last
decade
especially
has
become
part
of
the
culture
and
many
people
have
been
programmed
not
to
expect
fair
bipartisan
treatment
and
for
years
consistently
haven’t.
Cities
are
being
run
as
if
they’re
monarchies
and
it’s
assume
to
be
to
ones
advantage
if
you’re
compliance
is
public
knowledge
and
is
considered
detrimental
if
one
has
an
opinion.
And
with
that
being
fact
many
remain
quiet
and
detach
to
what
happens
in
their
own
communities
and
in
particularly
how
ones
community
can
be
simply
ignored
for
decades.
Young
men
have
been
ignored
for
decades
and
the
percentages
and
numbers
confirm
that
although
one
would
love
to
say
as
a
people
we’ve
progressed
the
freedom
of
an
African
American
young
male
seems
to
be
short
lived,
and
the
numbers
support
the
assertion.
Sophia
Kerby
wrote
an
article
for
the
Center
of
American
Progress
in
March
of
2012
entitle
The
Top
10
Most
Startling
Facts
About
People
of
Color
and
Criminal
Justice
in
the
United
States
A
Look
at
the
Racial
Disparities
Inherent
in
Our
Nation’s
Criminal-­‐
Justice
System
(see
mention
article
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/news/2012/03/13/11351/the-­‐top-­‐10-­‐most-­‐startling-­‐
facts-­‐about-­‐people-­‐of-­‐color-­‐and-­‐criminal-­‐justice-­‐in-­‐the-­‐united-­‐states/
)

3. 3
While
people
of
color
make
up
about
30
percent
of
the
United
States’
population,
they
account
for
60
percent
of
those
imprisoned.
The
prison
population
grew
by
700
percent
from
1970
to
2005,
a
rate
that
is
outpacing
crime
and
population
rates.
The
incarceration
rates
disproportionately
impact
men
of
color:
1
in
every
15
African
American
men
and
1
in
every
36
Hispanic
men
are
incarcerated
in
comparison
to
1
in
every
106
white
men.
The
article
also
makes
it
crystal
clear
with
statistics
to
support
the
facts:
According
to
the
Bureau
of
Justice
Statistics,
one
in
three
black
men
can
expect
to
go
to
prison
in
their
lifetime.
Individuals
of
color
have
a
disproportionate
number
of
encounters
with
law
enforcement,
indicating
that
racial
profiling
continues
to
be
a
problem.
A
report
by
the
Department
of
Justice
found
that
blacks
and
Hispanics
were
approximately
three
times
more
likely
to
be
searched
during
a
traffic
stop
than
white
motorists.
African
Americans
were
twice
as
likely
to
be
arrested
and
almost
four
times
as
likely
to
experience
the
use
of
force
during
encounters
with
the
police.
Yet
many
prominent
African
American
high-­‐ranking
officials
working
comfortably
within
city
government
and
councils
seem
to
be
more
consume
with
finding
the
wrong
alternatives.
Re-­‐establishing
programs
which
for
decades
may
have
been
vital
to
the
nurturing
many
of
the
youth
in
my
generation
truthfully
may
not
be
of
significance
at
all
society
has
change
forever
and
yesterday
can
not
be
recaptured
or
relived.

4. 4
It’s
time
to
cut
it
out
with
all
the
romanticizing
about
how
it
use
to
be
and
back
in
the
days
because
it’s
simply
a
dream
that
we
live
with
that
as
the
years
go
by
has
deteriorated
into
a
nightmare.
Honestly
let
think
rationally
and
truthfully
for
a
minute
here
back
to
when
especially
many
in
my
age
bracket
were
teenagers.
We
literally
every
single
dude
I
knew
played
basketball
or
football
or
baseball
depending
on
the
season
from
sun
up
until
sundown
am
I
right?
The
parks
playgrounds
or
any
pace
there
may
have
been
a
hoop
would
be
packed
all
damn
day
all
of
us
waiting
for
winners
or
next
patiently
no
fights
argument
were
few
waiting
our
turn
to
ball
and
if
we
lost
doing
it
over
and
over
the
entire
day
into
the
evening
until
the
sun
would
set.
Now
here’s
the
question
how
many
of
us
right
now
actually
even
could
envision
this
happening
again
in
these
times?
These
times
where
forget
about
the
fact
that
the
parks
are
few
of
course
or
haven’t
been
maintain
for
decades?
But
if
you’re
around
a
teenager
these
days
or
expose
to
the
streets
when
was
the
last
time
you
even
saw
a
kid
actually
excited
about
leaving
an
Ipod
Ipad
or
Iphone
alone
long
enough
to
develop
an
interest
for
anything?
There
are
those
who
exist
that
have
passion
for
the
same
things
we
once
had
but
the
consensus
would
not
be
in
agreement
if
we
ask
this
question
to
who
is
important
and
that’s
the
young
male
themselves?
(The
below
information
is
courtesy
of
the
NAACP.org
http://www.naacp.org/pages/criminal-­‐justice-­‐fact-­‐sheet
)
CRIMINAL
JUSTICE
FACT
SHEET
Incarceration
Trends
in
America
From
1980
to
2008,
the
number
of
people
incarcerated
in
America
quadrupled-­‐from
roughly
500,000
to
2.3
million
people
Today,
the
US
is
5%
of
the
World
population
and
has
25%
of
world
prisoners.
Combining
the
number
of
people
in
prison
and
jail
with
those
under
parole
or
probation
supervision,
1
in
ever
y
31
adults,
or
3.2
percent
of
the
population
is
under
some
form
of
correctional
control
Racial
Disparities
in
Incarceration
African
Americans
now
constitute
nearly
1
million
of
the
total
2.3
million
incarcerated
population
African
Americans
are
incarcerated
at
nearly
six
times
the
rate
of
whites
Together,
African
American
and
Hispanics
comprised
58%
of
all
prisoners
in
2008,
even
though
African
Americans
and
Hispanics
make
up
approximately
one
quarter
of
the
US
population
According
to
Unlocking
America,
if
African
American
and
Hispanics
were
incarcerated
at
the
same
rates
of
whites,
today's
prison
and
jail
populations
would
decline
by
approximately
50%

5. 5
One
in
six
black
men
had
been
incarcerated
as
of
2001.
If
current
trends
continue,
one
in
three
black
males
born
today
can
expect
to
spend
time
in
prison
during
his
lifetime
1
in
100
African
American
women
are
in
prison
Nationwide,
African-­‐Americans
represent
26%
of
juvenile
arrests,
44%
of
youth
who
are
detained,
46%
of
the
youth
who
are
judicially
waived
to
criminal
court,
and
58%
of
the
youth
admitted
to
state
prisons
(Center
on
Juvenile
and
Criminal
Justice).
Drug
Sentencing
Disparities
About
14
million
Whites
and
2.6
million
African
Americans
report
using
an
illicit
drug
5
times
as
many
Whites
are
using
drugs
as
African
Americans,
yet
African
Americans
are
sent
to
prison
for
drug
offenses
at
10
times
the
rate
of
Whites
African
Americans
represent
12%
of
the
total
population
of
drug
users,
but
38%
of
those
arrested
for
drug
offenses,
and
59%
of
those
in
state
prison
for
a
drug
offense.
African
Americans
serve
virtually
as
much
time
in
prison
for
a
drug
offense
(58.7
months)
as
whites
do
for
a
violent
offense
(61.7
months).
(Sentencing
Project)
Contributing
Factors
Inner
city
crime
prompted
by
social
and
economic
isolation
Crime/drug
arrest
rates:
African
Americans
represent
12%
of
monthly
drug
users,
but
comprise
32%
of
persons
arrested
for
drug
possession
"Get
tough
on
crime"
and
"war
on
drugs"
policies
Mandatory
minimum
sentencing,
especially
disparities
in
sentencing
for
crack
and
powder
cocaine
possession

6. 6
In
2002,
blacks
constituted
more
than
80%
of
the
people
sentenced
under
the
federal
crack
cocaine
laws
and
served
substantially
more
time
in
prison
for
drug
offenses
than
did
whites,
despite
that
fact
that
more
than
2/3
of
crack
cocaine
users
in
the
U.S.
are
white
or
Hispanic
"Three
Strikes"/habitual
offender
policies
Zero
Tolerance
policies
as
a
result
of
perceived
problems
of
school
violence;
adverse
affect
on
black
children.
35%
of
black
children
grades
7-­‐12
have
been
suspended
or
expelled
at
some
point
in
their
school
careers
compared
to
20%
of
Hispanics
and
15%
of
whites
Effects
of
Incarceration
Jail
reduces
work
time
of
young
people
over
the
next
decade
by
25-­‐30
percent
when
compared
with
arrested
youths
who
were
not
incarcerated
Jails
and
prisons
are
recognized
as
settings
where
society's
infectious
diseases
are
highly
concentrated
Prison
has
not
been
proven
as
a
rehabilitation
for
behavior,
as
two-­‐thirds
of
prisoners
will
reoffend
Exorbitant
Cost
of
Incarceration:
Is
it
Worth
It?
About
$70
billion
dollars
are
spent
on
corrections
yearly
Prisons
and
jails
consume
a
growing
portion
of
the
nearly
$200
billion
we
spend
annually
on
public
safety.
(Statistics
may
also
be
track
via
the
Bureau
Of
Justice
http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=11
)

7. 7
And
once
again
referencing
Sophia
Kerby’s
article:
Theses
racial
disparities
have
deprived
people
of
color
of
their
most
basic
civil
rights,
making
criminal-­‐justice
reform
the
civil
rights
issue
of
our
time.
Through
mass
imprisonment
and
the
overrepresentation
of
individuals
of
color
within
the
criminal
justice
and
prison
system,
people
of
color
have
experienced
an
adverse
impact
on
themselves
and
on
their
communities
from
barriers
to
reintegrating
into
society
to
engaging
in
the
democratic
process.
Eliminating
the
racial
disparities
inherent
to
our
nation’s
criminal-­‐justice
policies
and
practices
must
be
at
the
heart
of
a
renewed,
refocused,
and
reenergized
movement
for
racial
justice
in
America.
I
sat
in
a
meeting
last
year
in
my
hometown
listening
to
architects
who
ran
to
the
door
after
a
presentation
and
a
few
individuals
at
that
time
just
really
there
to
receive
votes.
The
meeting
was
about
a
public
park
about
to
be
constructed
and
still
over
and
over
again
people
were
speaking
about
baseball
fields
and
football
fields
or
basketball
courts
when
they
don’t
even
maintain
the
ones
existent
right
now.
I
stood
and
spoke
about
the
arts
computer
training
learning
a
trade
or
even
PSAT
training
and
preparation
and
constructing
something
that
would
be
utilized
to
the
fullest.
There
comes
a
time
when
instead
of
waiting
for
someone
to
throw
us
a
bone
the
time
has
come
for
us
to
collectively
nourish
our
own
bones
to
what
we
can
not
to
be
in
this
same
pathetic
position
20
years
from
now
all
over
again
across
the
nation.
If
we
don’t
demand
training
if
we
don’t
demand
jobs
and
if
we
don’t
cultivate
our
intuitive
thirst
by
stepping
outside
of
these
personal
jails
many
of
us
have
allowed
to
be
built
around
us
speaking
metaphorically
we’ll
never
be
free.
And
whether
or
not
it’s
realistic
explicit
or
a
statistic
won’t
be
important
at
all
because
truthfully
we’ve
got
this
thing
entirely
twisted.
Don’t
ever
assume
that
although
you
may
feel
as
if
you’re
bless
that
accountability
excludes
any
of
us
and
I
hated
basketball
when
I
was
a
kid
but
there
was
nothing
else
to
do
so
I
played.
Imagine
what
the
African
American
or
Latino
kids
today
might
feel
like
especially
when
some
people
always
seem
truthfully
like
the
first
alternative
is
always
to
stereotypically
assume
they
want
to
run
or
caught
a
damn
sport.
Learning
a
trade
now
may
save
a
life
tomorrow
or
especially
twenty
years
from
now.
Respectfully,
THE
WHEEL
SPEAKS
ON
2013
(The
Way
Humanity/Hudson
Expects
Everyone
to
Live)