Statically Speaking

• Share of incarcerated population

  • 39% Black in 2024: Federal data cited by the Arkansas Advocate showed that in January 2024, approximately 39% of those incarcerated in Arkansas prisons were Black.

  • 42% Black in 2017: A 2017 analysis showed that Black Arkansans, who constituted 15% of the state's adult population, accounted for 42% of the prison population.

• Disparity in rates

  • 3.3 times higher: The Prison Policy Initiative reported that Black people in Arkansas were incarcerated at a rate 3.3 times higher than white people in 2017.

  • 2.7 times higher: The Vera Institute of Justice's analysis of 2015 data found that Black people were incarcerated in jails at a rate 2.7 times that of white people.

• Juvenile system

  • Increase to 50%: A 2020 report from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights noted that between 2015 and 2020, the percentage of Black youth entering the prison system increased from 20% to nearly 50%. 

Factors contributing to the disparity

• Sentencing differences

  • A 2020 report from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights cited research showing that Black individuals received more severe charges and sentences than white individuals for similar crimes.

  • A 2015 study by the Arkansas Project found that African Americans convicted of murder were more likely to receive harsher sentences, including death row, than white individuals.

• Drug offenses

  • Research cited in a 2020 U.S. Commission on Civil Rights report noted that black individuals in Arkansas received more severe convictions for drug and mental health-related issues, despite similar rates of drug usage among racial groups.

• Criminal justice policies

  • The American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) "Blueprint for Smart Justice" in Arkansas highlighted policy issues, including mandatory sentencing practices and the growth of the carceral system, as contributing factors to the racial disparity.

  • The Prison Policy Initiative identified policies such as prison gerrymandering and high costs for inmate communication as factors exacerbating the disparity.

• Criminal record policies

  • An ACLU report from 2018 indicated that Black Arkansans' criminal records negatively impacted their employment opportunities at higher rates than for white Arkansans.