The Red and the Blue

The intersection of 7th St. and Arch St. (view map) defines irony. It is the type of wry irony that makes you sad but forces you to smile at its bitter poignancy.

701 Arch Street is home to the African-American Museum in Philadelphia. Right across the street at 700 Arch St. is a Federal Detention Center.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the rate of incarceration for black males was 4,618 for 100,00 people as of June 30, 2007. White men are incarcerated at a rate of 773 per 100,000. That is a rate of 4.62% vs. 0.77%.

Out of the 2.1 million incarcerated men, 35.4% are black. That comes out to 724,500 men, or 4.4% of the U.S. black male population. According to the Washington Post, 1 in 10 black males between the ages of 24 and 30 are behind bars. The article also notes that the increase in prison population over the last decade has been due in part to tougher sentencing guidelines.

So at what point do we blame the environmental factors over personal responsibility (or vice-versa?). Sounds like a familiar debate, doesn’t it?

Another factor worth pondering is how the justice system contributes to these skewed results. The racial disparities among prisoners are fascinating and disturbing, especially when the population of a city like Philadelphia is split roughly in half among blacks and whites (45% and 47.6%, respectively).

Courtesy of Philadelphia Police Department

Some more stats that pertain to Philly:

• 76% of inmates in the Philadelphia Prison System are awaiting trial. 24% have been convicted.

• The most common crimes are drug distribution charges (1st) and violence (2nd). Homicides come in 4th. According to the Philadelphia Police Department, drug charges are not considered a major crime.

• There are 9,661 people in the prison system as of February 17, 2009.

• The Philadelphia Prison System’s estimated budget for fiscal year 2009 is $230,180,119.

So each Philadelphia adult (18+) is paying $212 in order to pay for the prison system. This doesn’t factor in the budget for the Philadelphia Court System which is $108,824,593 or $100 per person. This is a bit of an unfair calculation because the court budget includes traffic court and other cases which don’t necessarily involve incarceration.

As a guesstimate, we have a grand total of $312 per person to support the corrections facilities and the courts. In the midst of a municipal budget crisis, this is a lot of money that could go a long way towards limiting cuts in services such as recreation centers, pools and libraries.

With a wide open race for Philadelphia District Attorney, it may also be worth thinking how a political candidates and campaign promises shape and mold the justice system (judges also run for their seats).

Tell us, what are your thoughts on crime, race and politics in Philly?

Yanik Ruiz-Ramon Uncategorized crime, Philadelphia, philly, race