Last week, the Sentencing Project released a paper detailing the racial and ethnic disparities in state prisons around the country. Authored by Senior Research Analyst Ashley Nellis, Ph.D., “The Color of Justice” uses Bureau of Justice statistics and census data to determine how much of each state’s prison population is Black, white, and Latinx and how those numbers compare with a state’s overall demographics. You can view the paper here.

Nellis noticed five things that stood out, two of which highlight the nationwide nature of these disparities: the amount of Black Americans incarcerated in state prisons is nearly five times that of white Americans and one in 81 Black adults per 100,000 nationwide is incarcerated in state prison.

No states come off looking good in this report but there are certainly some states that stand out more than others. For example, Wisconsin has the highest rate of incarceration of Black adults in state prison.

Wisconsin stands out for its incarceration of Black adults in state prisons.

Just 6% of the population in Wisconsin is Black. Yet 42% of adults incarcerated in Wisconsin state prisons are Black. The rate of imprisonment is staggering: Black adults are imprisoned in state facilities nearly 12 times the rate of white Wisconsinites.

The statistics are vastly different for Latinx adults, as they comprise 8% of the state prison population and make up 6% of the overall state population. The study notes there is frequently a disparity in data when accounting for incarcerated adults who are Latinx, meaning that number could easily be higher than previously reported.

Problems with data extend to four states in particular that don’t account for their Latinx state prison population: Alabama, Maine, Michigan, and Vermont.

Already, the report has raised concerns about incarceration in states like Kansas. On Wednesday, the Kansas City Star issued a staff editorial condemning the high rate in which Black Kansans find themselves imprisoned in state facilities. The rate of Black adults incarcerated in state prisons in Kansas is six times higher than for White adults.

“Kansas officials must take steps to reduce the state’s minority prison population,” the editorial notes. “For starters, minor infractions that send substance abusers and others to prison must be decriminalized.”

The report calls for similar reforms, along with enacting proportional sentencing and implementing racial impact statements, which allow for lawmakers to seek alternatives to harsh punitive legislation and consider their outcomes. This could all be achieved with the passage of bills like the First Step Implementation Act and the drafting of new legislation that explicitly focuses on racial impact statements.