# 12% of Blacks and 1 in 147 in prison? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 12, 2003, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-of-blacks-and-1-in-147-in-prison/194735 "2003-08-12T21:33:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Homer\_J.Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a698b9/32.png) [@Homer\_J.Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer_J.Simpson)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-of-blacks-and-1-in-147-in-prison/194735/1 "2003-08-12T21:33:11Z")
My friend told me today that 12% of blacks in America are in prison. This seems high, is it correct? She said 1 in 147 people in America are in prison. Is this correct? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-of-blacks-and-1-in-147-in-prison/194735/2 "2003-08-12T21:37:51Z")
There is a higher percentage of blacks in prison than whites but I really dont think it’s that much. I mean that’s about 15 times more! Sounds like one of those statistics sad racist people make up, but I may be wrong… ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-of-blacks-and-1-in-147-in-prison/194735/3 "2003-08-12T21:43:23Z")
[Human Rights Watch](http://www.hrw.org/reports/2000/usa/Rcedrg00-01.htm#P167_28183) (2000): > [@](#): > > Blacks comprise 13 percent of the national population, but 30 percent of people arrested, 41 percent of people in jail, and 49 percent of those in prison. Nine percent of all black adults are under some form of correctional supervision (in jail or prison, on probation or parole), compared to two percent of white adults. One in three black men between the ages of 20 and 29 was either in jail or prison, or on parole or probation in 1995. One in ten black men in their twenties and early thirties is in prison or jail. Thirteen percent of the black adult male population has lost the right to vote because of felony disenfranchisement laws. ---
**Author:** ![frixxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@frixxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frixxxx)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-of-blacks-and-1-in-147-in-prison/194735/4 "2003-08-12T21:48:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Homer J. Simpson \* > \*\*My friend told me today that 12% of blacks in America are in prison. This seems high, is it correct? > > She said 1 in 147 people in America are in prison. Is this correct? \*\* I can’t seem to find “national” statistics to easily on google. (go figure) however there are a few state sites available. Google search “prison facts” California has a site from 2002: [http://www.corr.ca.gov/OffenderInfoServices/Reports/Annual/Census/CENSUSd0206.pdf](http://www.corr.ca.gov/OffenderInfoServices/Reports/Annual/Census/CENSUSd0206.pdf) Statewide: CDC prisoners (male): 29% White 35% Hispanic 30% Black 6% Other Love to see other numbers and sites! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-of-blacks-and-1-in-147-in-prison/194735/5 "2003-08-12T21:48:38Z")
I dont like that link because it just has figures for black and white people, no hispanic figures, no asian figures. In UK there is a higher proportion of blacks in prison, but a lower proportion of asians than whites. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-of-blacks-and-1-in-147-in-prison/194735/6 "2003-08-12T21:48:46Z")
[Bureau of Justice Statistics for 2002](http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/press/p02pr.htm) (these cover federal and states): > [@](#): > > On that date 10.4 percent of the country’s black male population between the ages of 25 to 29 were in prison, compared to 2.4 percent of Hispanic males and 1.2 percent of white males in the same age group. > [@](#): > > About 1 in every 143 U.S. residents were in state or federal prison or a local jail, as of last December 31. ---
**Author:** ![doctordoowop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecc23a/32.png) [@doctordoowop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doctordoowop)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-of-blacks-and-1-in-147-in-prison/194735/7 "2003-08-12T21:59:16Z")
The shocking stat,if true,is that MORE blacks are in the justice system-jail,prison,probation, parole,& diversion programs than college. True?? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-of-blacks-and-1-in-147-in-prison/194735/8 "2003-08-12T23:09:47Z")
doctordoowop: When I attended a mostly black (85%) public university, the figure I heard was that there were more black _men_ in the justice system than in college. That is less difficult for me to swallow than just “more blacks” being in prison than college. It seemed notable to me that my alma mater had _waaay_ more guys than gals. I can’t quote enrollment numbers off the top of my head, but it seemed like all my classes had maybe two women for each guy. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-of-blacks-and-1-in-147-in-prison/194735/9 "2003-08-13T02:11:14Z")
Another stat from that page I gave: “More black males than white males among State and Federal inmates at yearend 2002.” ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-of-blacks-and-1-in-147-in-prison/194735/10 "2003-08-13T03:03:34Z")
It’s been pointed out that the statistic that “there are more black men in prison than in college” is slightly deceptive. There are prisoners of many ages, while most people in college are from a narrow range of ages. Yes, there are more black males in prison than in college, but that’s perhaps not the best comparison. If you look at just black males who are 18 to 24 years old, there are almost three times as many of them in college as in prison. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-of-blacks-and-1-in-147-in-prison/194735/11 "2003-08-13T03:50:57Z")
Related thread a few months ago on same topic. [12 percent of all black males in the US between ages 20-39 are in jail](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=175516&highlight=prison) ---
**Author:** ![vasyachkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c5a1d2/32.png) [@vasyachkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vasyachkin)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-of-blacks-and-1-in-147-in-prison/194735/12 "2003-08-13T04:39:16Z")
i wonder, does it cost more to keep somebody in jail than it does to attend college ? it probably does. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-of-blacks-and-1-in-147-in-prison/194735/13 "2003-08-13T05:29:16Z")
> [@](#): > > i wonder, does it cost more to keep somebody in jail than it does to attend college ? it probably does. Kind of an apples and oranges question. The usual method of determining how much it costs to keep one person in prison is to figure in the total budget of the prison system and divide by the number of prisoners. There’s a few quibbles that could be made with that method, but let’s accept it as reasonable. Meanwhile the most common method for determining the cost of keeping a persion in college is figuring out an average tuition. The pundit then declares that it cost more to keep a man in prison than it does to keep him in college. In reality, this is where the apple meets the orange. The college figure doesn’t usually assume the cost of feeding and housing is included (certainly not year round). And even if they do, no college is going to provide clothing, medical services, or the other things prisons pay for. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-of-blacks-and-1-in-147-in-prison/194735/14 "2003-08-13T06:00:02Z")
> [@](#): > > The shocking stat,if true,is that MORE blacks are in the justice system-jail,prison,probation, parole,& diversion programs than college. CURRENTLY in college, or HAVE ATTENDED college at one point? The latter is the more relevent statistic, I think. ---
**Author:** ![vasyachkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c5a1d2/32.png) [@vasyachkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vasyachkin)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-of-blacks-and-1-in-147-in-prison/194735/15 "2003-08-13T06:23:16Z")
Little Nemo, its true that tuition does not include housing, food etc … but many people in college work part time (some full time), while people in prisons don’t. so college student largely pays for himself while a prisoner doesn’t. my point is that if they supported the poor financially by paying most of their tuition then many of them would probably not end up in jails, and thus recover most of the money back. ---
**Author:** ![doctordoowop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecc23a/32.png) [@doctordoowop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doctordoowop)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2003, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-of-blacks-and-1-in-147-in-prison/194735/16 "2003-08-15T04:24:44Z")
JW-I was wrong.Of course it is black MEN. Thanks for correction. ---
**Author:** ![daniel801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@daniel801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daniel801)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2003, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-of-blacks-and-1-in-147-in-prison/194735/17 "2003-08-15T04:39:10Z")
College is usually just for 19-22 year olds. Compare almost anything to that and get a shocking “conclusion.”