• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
I Rise

I Rise

Empowering through health, wellness and historical knowledge

  • My culture, my country
  • History
    • On this day in history
  • Events

Categories

  • Culture
  • Empower
  • Features
  • Health and Wellness
  • Things to do
  • History
  • My culture, my country
  • Events

Need help?

  • Culture
  • Empower
  • Features
  • Health and Wellness
  • Things to do

African Americans experience higher arrest related deaths

27 July, 2015 by CarolD
African American in Prison

Racial disproportionality in the US criminal justice system is a fact that can be proved with statics. This could help to explain why a young black woman like Sandra Bland could end up dead after a routine traffic violation.

As Sandra Bland’s death has been ruled as a suicide let’s look at statistics for deaths in police custody.

Low suicide rate among Black inmates

When incarcerated, Black people are the least likely to commit suicide compared to whites and Hispanics. In America, Black people are more likely to succumb to illnesses such as heart disease. This may include heart-related deaths that were partially the result of strain during arrest or other confrontations while in custody, as well as deaths unrelated to incarceration.

The fact is white inmates are five times as likely to commit suicide in a local jail as blacks.

Stats: Black people are less likely to commit suicide in jail than white people.

Click To Tweet

Higher arrest-related death

Black people face a higher risk of arrest-related death than whites.

Among every 100,000 black people who are arrested, 5.6 die in arrest-related deaths, compared with only 3 of every 100,000 white arrestees. Those homicides are most likely to be committed by law enforcement personnel, not other jail inmates (homicides include both justifiable and criminal homicides).

The US Justice Department counted 2,958 arrest-related homicides between 2003 and 2009; 99 per cent of those were committed by law enforcement.

The Justice Department notes in both its report on deaths in jail and on arrest-related deaths that the numbers are likely to be underestimated because of under-reporting.

Black people face a higher risk of arrest-related death than whites.

Click To Tweet

More statistics

An article in the Huff Post highlighted research that shows that blacks face a greater chance of interacting with police for “very minor traffic violations” than whites, primarily because they are under greater suspicion for certain offences.

Looking at statistics we learn that:

  • Black drivers (13 per cent) were more likely than white (10 per cent) and Hispanic (10 per cent) drivers to be pulled over by police in a traffic stop.
  • White drivers involved in traffic stops were searched at lower rates than black and Hispanic drivers…
  • A greater percentage of black (7 per cent) and Hispanic (6 per cent) drivers were ticketed than white drivers (5 per cent).

Statistics for the criminal justice show that:

  • Prison sentences of black men were nearly 20% longer than those of white men for similar crimes in recent years, an analysis by the US Sentencing Commission found.
  • When in custody, both black men and women face a greater likelihood of being “disproportionately represented” in prison.

It would seem that just by being noticed by state trooper Brian Encina Sandra Bland’s chances of incarceration were increased. Looking at the video of his disgraceful performance whether she put out that cigarette or not this man had already judged her and was ready to take her in for something…anything.

As always just highlighting a problem doesn’t solve the problem. Peace!

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Related

Category: FeaturesTag: Black Lives Matter

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Sidebar

Recent posts

woman sitting on purple bench

Make Space for Girls charity using the law to make parks more inclusive

Mariah Carey

A songwriter is suing Mariah Carey over All I Want For Christmas is You

Love Island

Love Island contestants to receive inclusion training

Windrush arrivals 1948

The Windrush passenger’s underground accommodations

When Caribbean migrants disembarked from the SS Empire Windrush on 22 June 1948, many of them had nowhere to live. Due to the shortage of housing in London following World …

Subscribe to never miss a post

Enter your email address to subscribe to this site and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Trending posts

  • The murder of Kelso Cochrane
    The murder of Kelso Cochrane
  • Brief History of St Lucia
    Brief History of St Lucia
  • Thomas Jennings - Inventor
    Thomas Jennings - Inventor
  • The Windrush Years - (1948-1998)
    The Windrush Years - (1948-1998)
Drawing of the zong massacre -slaves being tossed overboard

The Zong Massacre

Actors dressed in ku klux klan costumes in a scene from the film the birth of a nation

Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

Claudia Jones leads protest against immigration act

The Commonwealth Immigration Act 1962

Bellefield Great House

Sir Francis Kerr-Jarrett – Jamaican landowner

  • About
  • Contact us
  • Be a guest writer
  • Cookies and your privacy
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 · I Rise · All Rights Reserved ·

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “ACCEPT ALL”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsREJECT ALLACCEPT ALL
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
SAVE & ACCEPT
pixel