Report: 1 in 30 Adult Black Males in Tennessee Incarcerated

A new report from The Sentencing Project reaffirms what we already know about criminal justice in the United States — the carceral monster does not devour Americans equally. 

The takeaway: "African Americans are incarcerated in state prisons across the country at more than five times the rate of whites, and at least ten times the rate in five states." 

The report released earlier this week, "documents the rates of incarceration for whites, African Americans, and Hispanics in each state, identifies three contributors to racial and ethnic disparities in imprisonment and provides recommendations for reform."

The big picture is bleak. There is a silver lining, such as it is, for Tennessee. The state has smaller-than-average disparities between blacks and whites when it comes to incarceration rates. But the numbers don't paint a pretty picture. 

Some takeaways from the report, and charts, after the jump:

— Tennessee has below average incarceration rates for blacks and Hispanics, but a slightly above average rate for whites. 

Incarceration rates per 100,000 people:

State Average: White: 275 Black: 1408 Hispanic: 378

Tennessee:      White 316  Black: 1166 Hispanic: 180

— The disparity between whites and blacks is below average, but still significant. 

1 in 30 adult black males in Tennessee are incarcerated, only slightly below the average of 1 in 26 for all states. While black Tennesseans make up 16.8 percent of the state's population, they make up 44.1 percent of its prison population. Hispanics, on the other hand, make up 4.9 percent of the Tennessee population and 2 percent of its prison population.

The report outlines various drivers of these disparities, including "biased decisionmaking in the criminal justice system" as well as "a range of individual level factors such as poverty, education outcomes, unemployment history, and criminal history."