Friday
Apr222005
Study: Racial Disparities Apparent In Oklahoma Arrests, Convictions
Friday, April 22, 2005 at 05:45PM
Study Shows Blacks Far More Likely To Be Convicted, Serve Time
Blacks in Oklahoma are more likely to be stopped by police, searched, arrested, convicted and sentenced to prison, according to a new study. The study by the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resource Center shows disparities at virtually every step of the system, even when adjusting for the rate at which blacks commit crimes, said K.C. Moon, the center's director. The Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resource Center is funded by the Legislature and reports to the state's Sentencing Commission. Moon discussed the study Friday at a conference called "Police, Prosecutors & Politicians: The Ethics & Limits of Law Enforcement." The study, which examined recent data on Oklahoma's criminal justice system, found that while blacks constitute 7.7 percent of the state's population, they account for nearly 18 percent of all arrests and nearly 30 percent of the prison population. [more]
Blacks in Oklahoma are more likely to be stopped by police, searched, arrested, convicted and sentenced to prison, according to a new study. The study by the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resource Center shows disparities at virtually every step of the system, even when adjusting for the rate at which blacks commit crimes, said K.C. Moon, the center's director. The Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resource Center is funded by the Legislature and reports to the state's Sentencing Commission. Moon discussed the study Friday at a conference called "Police, Prosecutors & Politicians: The Ethics & Limits of Law Enforcement." The study, which examined recent data on Oklahoma's criminal justice system, found that while blacks constitute 7.7 percent of the state's population, they account for nearly 18 percent of all arrests and nearly 30 percent of the prison population. [more]
