Racial Disparity and Prison Sentences

There is an inherent difference in the way Whites and Blacks are punished in the United States Criminal Justice System. Black men are sentenced to nearly twenty percent longer prison terms than White men for similar crimes committed. This discrepancy in sentencing based on race has worsened since 2005 when the Supreme Court allowed judges to use their own discretion when sentencing. The 2005 Supreme Court case, US v. Booker, ruled federal district judges are not required to impose sentences within the Federal Sentencing guidelines. Since the Booker ruling, Black men are sentenced to more than fifteen percent longer prison terms than Whites in similar situations. In addition Black men were significantly less likely to receive sentences below the guidelines range than whites.

This means that Black men are consistently sentenced longer than whites for similar crimes, and they rarely receive lighter sentences than Federal guidelines suggest even though judges are not required to follow the guidelines. These trends combined with the increased likelihood for police to target black neighborhoods while looking for crime put 1 out of every 3 Black males, in the US, behind bars at some point in their life. This clearly becomes a systemic issue when those numbers are compared to the 1/17 white men going to jail in their lives. This is in addition the fact that black males make up significantly less of the overall US population numbers. Our criminal Justice System unfairly targets Black Americans, and comes down more harshly upon those targeted.




Palazzolo, J. (February, 14, 2013). Racial Gap in Men's Sentencing. WSJ.com. Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324432004578304463789858002