The rate of imprisonment of black men is in absolute terms consistently much higher than that of black women, but the shape of the two curves is remarkably similar. But around the turn of the millennium, the African American imprisonment rate began declining year after year. A 23 percent decline in the black male imprisonment rate and a 49 percent decline in the black female imprisonment rate would seem to warrant some serious attention. But if you point out to the average person or even a seasoned criminologist that the United States is at a more than 20-year low in the black incarceration rate, you are likely to be met with stunned silence. The high rate of black incarceration remains a horribly destructive social problem.

Source: Washington Post August 16, 2016 11:03 UTC