Post

Every day, but especially on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we're reminded of the systemic racism that plagues every part of the U.S. criminal legal system – from arrest to sentencing and even reentry. Here's what the data shows 🧵

19/1/26, 2:15 pm22 reposts41 likes

Prison Policy Initiative

@prisonpolicy.org

19 Jan

➡️ As youth: Black children are disproportionately targeted by the criminal legal system. Just 14% of all youth under 18 in the U.S. are Black, yet 47% of boys and 39% of girls in juvenile facilities are Black.

prisonpolicy.orgYouth Confinement: The Whole Pie 2025The big picture of youth confinement in America, showing how many kids are entangled in the criminal legal system and why.

Prison Policy Initiative

@prisonpolicy.org

19 Jan

➡️ During police encounters: Black people are more than 2x as likely to be searched or arrested in a traffic stop, and experience police misconduct at 6x the rate of white people.

Prison Policy Initiative

@prisonpolicy.org

19 Jan

➡️ During pretrial detention: - Young Black men are about 50% more likely to be detained pretrial than white defendants. - Black and brown defendants receive bail amounts that are 2x as high as bail set for white defendants, and they are less likely to be able to afford it.

Prison Policy Initiative

@prisonpolicy.org

19 Jan

➡️ During incarceration: -Every state locks up Black people at higher rates than white people. -Black people make up 14% of the U.S. population, but 41% of those incarcerated in correctional facilities. -In 2016, nearly 50% of people serving life sentences were Black.