Research by the Council on Criminal Justice Pushing Toward Parity project shows that the gap between Black and White state imprisonment rates nationwide has narrowed significantly since the start of the 21st century. To better understand the trends and identify policies and practices that may drive them, the Council chose 12 states for closer investigation. For each state, researchers conducted analyses of disparity trends and cataloged changes to policy, practice, and other developments that might help explain disparity trends; this process included conducting structured interviews with key criminal justice system actors and stakeholders. Disentangling the effects of multiple simultaneous reforms and factors that occurred in these states is difficult, but it is essential to identifying the types of measures that could have a significant and replicable impact on reducing racial disparities in imprisonment rates across the country. The selected states represent a variety of regions, population sizes, and histories of criminal justice reform; their inclusion also reflects the availability and quality of relevant data. Select a state below to learn about intra-state imprisonment racial disparity trends and contributing factors. To learn about inter-state trends and policy implications, read our Multi-State Report.
