What race makes up the biggest portion of the US prison population and why?

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• I agree with this answer. (Just so you're aware, before someone slams your answer - it's, "The love of money is the root of all evil." People and their greed/stupidity infuse money with evil. By itself, it's only currency)

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  by Jodie44 on October 10th, 2006

• The money that individuals have or have not isn't the entire reason. While black people are disproportionately affected by poverty (25% of African Americans are under the poverty line, or just over 10 million people), there are more white people living in poverty (8% of White Americans, or 16 million people). White communities as a whole, though, almost always have more money and more leaders in high places and thus more institutional power than black communities. As a result, our nation's white poor have increased access to social safety nets that can be the difference between manageable circumstances and desperate ones.

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  by Anonymous on April 18th, 2009

• http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=651
  
  in 2007(the latest year i could find) whites comprised 58% of the federal prison system, wait...they aren't black...

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  by Chuck_S on October 11th, 2010

• Seems like lack of money is the root of all evil, if it's people without money that are committing most of the crime. But why is it that black people don't have any money?

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  by Doook on May 22nd, 2011

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• are you serious? i don't want to sound racist, but it's a common fact that blacks are the most commonly jailed due to racist

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  by dmoneythegreat on February 10th, 2006

• the stats will back this answer.

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  by Anonymous on March 11th, 2006

• First of all, there are about 150 million more white people than black people in the U.S., so the black community is still disproportionately affected. Also, it's important to recognize the difference between city or county jails and state or federal prisons. Having more white people in local jails and more black people in prisons could be evidence of a few things. 1) the plague of violent crime in black communities (violent crime = longer sentencing) 2) institutional racism in sentencing (black people receiving longer sentences than white people for comparable crimes)

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  by Anonymous on April 18th, 2009

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• Right. It's because blacks only make up a small percentage of the population, proportionately, but are the largest minority group to be incarcerated.

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  by KiaOra on September 20th, 2009

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• Where do you people get this stuff? THIS IS NOT TRUE. The vast majority of African Americans are not criminals and do not celebrate anti-social behavior.

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  by ljp1 on April 22nd, 2011

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• Good answer, Smart Alec.

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  by Tondoteottotote on September 12th, 2009

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• The truth is most crimes that are committed are done so to those of their own race (even though race is a social construct with no scientific basis). You are misguided - you need help.

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  by ljp1 on April 22nd, 2011