America’s rate of incarceration has dropped to the lowest level in a quarter century, spurred on by a sharp drop in the percentage of blacks and Hispanics sent to jail, says the Department of Justice.
America's rate of incarceration has dropped to the lowest level in a quarter century, spurred on by a sharp drop in the percentage of blacks and Hispanics sent to jail, says the Department of Justice.
The black incarceration rate in the US now stands at the lowest figures in 31 years, representing a 29 percent drop, and Hispanic incarceration is down by 24 percent as well.
According to the Washington Examiner, the report released by the DOJ focuses on those incarcerated for more than a year.
According to the report:
"At year-end 2019, there were 1,096 sentenced black prisoners per 100,000 black residents, 525 sentenced Hispanic prisoners per 100,000 Hispanic residents and 214 sentenced white prisoners per 100,000 white residents in the U.S. Among sentenced state prisoners at year-end 2018 (the most recent data available), a larger percentage of black (62 percent) and Hispanic (62 percent) prisoners than white prisoners (48%) were serving time for a violent offense."
"Across the decade from 2009 to 2019, the imprisonment rate fell 29 percent among black residents, 24 percent among Hispanic residents and 12 percent among white residents. In 2019, the imprisonment rate of black residents was the lowest it has been in 30 years, since 1989,"
While the report doesn't attribute any particular cause to the significant drop in incarceration rates, it is possible that it is due to the First Step Act, a bipartisan effort spearheaded by President Donald Trump.
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