Milwaukee Combats Racism
Incarceration
In Milwaukee & Wisconsin
In Wisconsin, the prison population has more than tripled since 1990, with concentrated policing in minority communities. The rates of incarcerated Black males have increased the most over time (“Wisconsin's Mass Incarceration of African American Males”). The 2010 U.S. Census showed Wisconsin Having the highest Black male incarceration rates in the nation. This can be shown to have direct results in Milwaukee County as over half of the black men in their 30s, living in Milwaukee County, have served time in state prison (“Wisconsin's Mass Incarceration of African American Males”).
Figure 2: "Was calculated that the working-age Black, white, male, and female formerly incarcerated unemployment rates are higher than the rates of unemployment for any of their peers in the general population. But this 'prison penalty' puts formerly incarcerated Black people and women at the greatest disadvantage when it comes to finding work" (Couloute, “Out of Prison & out of Work").
Header Photo: Shutterstock, "Indigenous incarceration: a national disgrace and nobody cares."
Charts From: "Wisconsin profile", Prison Policy.
It can be noted as well, that prison time is one of the most serious barriers to employment. This has made the ex-offender population one of the most difficult to get and keep a full-time job.
We can see how Wisconsin has a growing incarceration rate, as seen in the recorded data and charts. It is also notable that according to data from Prison Policy, ex-convicted Black men and women have higher unemployment rates than those who are white (Couloute, “Out of Prison & out of Work"). Keeping both statistics in mind, the men who have served time in state prison and currently reside in Milwaukee could be at more risk for unemployment.
When looking at Wisconsin's incarceration rates, and how they can be seen in Milwaukee, it is important as well to have a comparison to other states and countries. Incarceration rates in the US have been found according to PrisonPolicy.org, to be the highest. They noted how "every single U.S. state has been found to incarcerate more people per capita than any other independent democracy" (“States of Incarceration: The Global Context 2021").
Referenced as Figure 3: "We compared the incarceration rates of countries and U.S. states against 'violent crime,' which we calculated based on four categories of offense types—murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape and sexual violence, robbery, and aggravated and serious assault — that have available data across 98 countries with populations over 500,000 and the U.S. states" (“States of Incarceration: The Global Context 2021).
In Wisconsin, incarceration rates are 663 per 100,000 (“States of Incarceration: The Global Context 2021"). Now when compared to states like Mississippi and Louisiana with over 1,000 per 100,00, this rate may not seem that bad. The Wisconsin rate is "average" by U.S. Standards, however, when compared to other democracies, Wisconsin's rates can be seen to be off the chart comparison (“States of Incarceration: The Global Context 2021").
Chart From: “States of Incarceration: The Global
Context 2021," Prison Policy.
