Moreover, Black men have a 29 percent chance of serving time in prison at some point in their lives. Black women fare little better. They are the fastest growing prison population and over one-half of them are incarcerated for nonviolent offenses. Overall, juvenile offenders are increasingly being treated as adults. Thus, they are subject to harsher punishments.
Racial disparities persist here as well.
Sixty-seven percent of juvenile defendants prosecuted as adults are Black. Relative to men, incarcerated women and children are more likely to experience violence and sexual abuse behind prison walls. Additionally, they are often unable to gain suitable employment, housing, or higher education. While more and more tax dollars are spent on the incarceration of Black people, predominantly Black public schools are often unable to meet the academic needs of student bodies. They are disproportionately located in poor and low-income communities.