The biggest factor contributing to the disparity may be in the way our judicial system handles drug offenders. Groff, a Denver Democrat, wants an examination of the racial breakdown of the prison population, as well as the efficiency of treatment programs. A study of the systemic inequalities in the system is long overdue, as are the possible solutions it can reveal. Some authorities deny that discrimination in the criminal justice system has caused the disparity, citing socioconomic factors as the real cause. But we need to look realistically at the possibility that the system treats blacks and whites differently.
Poverty certainly plays a role.
Those who can afford better lawyers and have collateral for bail are less likely to spend time in jail than those who have few or no assets. But crimes tend to be punished differently for certain drug offenders. There are more white folks using dope in the suburbs than black people using drugs in the inner city. If the percentage was the same in arrests, the war on drugs would be over today because the majority population would not stand for being treated the way the disenfranchised are being treated. In addition to studying systemic problems, however, society should place more emphasis on treatment of drug offenders.