One in Five - Ending Racial Inequity in Incarceration

the conditions of socioeconomic inequality that contrib- ute to higher rates of certain violent and property crimes The United States remains fully in the era of mass among people of color. [...] Following a dramatic crime drop since the 1990s, 2021 was nearly six times as large as 50 years ago, before the recent uptick in some crime categories—particularly the era of mass incarceration, and in 2022 the prison homicides—during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as population expanded.8 The prison and jail incarcera- the opioid overdose crisis, have led many lawmakers tion rate in the United St. [...] UNFINISHED BUSINESS: REDUCTIONS IN INCARCERATION AND DISPARITIES Reforms of the past two decades have reduced both sippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma are nearly the footprint of the criminal legal system and its racial 50% above the national average.18 At the recent pace of disparities. [...] As national 2098—to return to the size of 1972’s prison population.19 and local politics resume the politicization of crime and drug policies, it is crucial to take stock of the progress Past reforms have helped to reduce the number of that must be defended and built upon. [...] Admission and release figures, in contrast, give a better sense of the relative prevalence of these forms of 51 The rate of reported violent crimes increased 5% in 2020 incarceration.