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Black prison population in Iowa could grow--now 2% of population and 24 % of prisoners

By Real Cost of Prisons Project (The Sentencing Project)

Black prison population in Iowa could grow By MIKE GLOVER | Associated Press Writer May 14, 2009 Chicago Tribune DES MOINES, Iowa - Blacks continue to be incarcerated in Iowa prisons at a number far out of proporation to their overall population in the state, and that disparity is expected to grow over the next 10 years, state prison officials were told Wednesday. The state began to study the racial breakdown of prison inmates under former Gov. Tom Vilsack, and that initial study found that 24 percent of the state's prison beds are occupied by blacks who make up roughly 2 percent of the population. The Iowa Board of Corrections was told that those numbers remain unchanged as of last year but are expected to grow. "The projections are that the percent of African-Americans in prison will slightly increase over the next 10 years," said Lettie Prell, research director for the Iowa Department of Corrections...continue to full post

Full post as published by The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog on May 14, 2009 (boomark / email).