Name of Report: Rhode Island Department of Corrections Annual Report 2003
Organizational Affiliation: Rhode Island Department of Corrections
Authors: Ashbel T. Wall II (Director, Planning & Research Unit), Raymond Perreault (Planning and Research Unit)
Contact Info: Department of Corrections. The John O. Pastore Government Center, 40 Howard Ave. Cranston, RI 02920 401-462-2611
Date: Winter 2003
Pages: 29
Content Summary
This report primarily provides data on the prison population of the RI Department of Corrections for 2003. While some of the data displays the incarceration population rates from the fiscal year 1994 until 2003, most of the data pertains to the population as of October 2, 2003. The report is composed primarily of charts, tables, and graphs that break down the various factors that contributed to the prison makeup. The majority of the data is separated into the principle categories of sex, race, and gender. Located at the bottom of each page of the report is a succinct summary of all the chief findings. Basic information one can expect to find in the report are characteristics of the reasons for incarceration, the population of people awaiting trial, inmates sentenced, the length of sentences, the amount of prisoners kept in the different levels of security, and the characteristics that account for the individuals on home confinement, probation, and parole.
Major Findings
This report highly demonstrates similar findings with the statistics found in some of the previous reports done by the Planning and Research Unit of the Rhode Department of Corrections in 2001 and 2002. It is pointed out in this particular report that an all time high of 3700 inmates was reached on September 14, 2003. This number represents a 4% average increase in relation to the previous year. For inmates not sentenced yet, the crimes that they were being held for without bail were mostly violent offenses or drug-related felonies. Of the inmates that were newly sentenced, a majority received a sentence of six months or less, demonstrating that many of these offenses were not very severe in nature. It also speaks to the population of prisoners being held for long sentences. In relation to probation, it was reported that 626 of the probationers were under the age of 20. It was also the case that in terms of parole, most offenders were supervised primarily as a result of committing violent crimes. Drug offenses followed in second place.
In terms of racial data, the findings display that while whites remain the majority in the prison population for those awaiting trial, offenders sentenced, and individuals on probation or parole; blacks continue to follow close their white counterparts with the number of people incarcerated at a rate disproportionate to state representation. The information gathered in the report also displays the close proximity between the numbers of Blacks and Hispanics incarcerated. While Whites compose three-fourths of the individuals on home confinement, Blacks and Hispanics account for the rest of that population. In the same regards, women inmates were found to be more likely charged and sentenced for nonviolent crimes whereas men predominantly serve for violent crimes. The largest proportion of incarcerated men is within the age domain of 20-29 while for women the range is 30-39. Of the 26, 927 individuals that were on probation or parole as of October 2, 2003, a vast majority were male.
Unaddressed Issues or Concerns
While the report offers many important characteristics of the prison makeup during the year 2003, it would have been more beneficial had more of the data been broken down in terms of race for. While the DOC does keep more detailed data that takes into account racial characteristics, it remains separate from reports of this nature. For Because the data offers so much insight into the various characteristics of the prison population it would have also been useful if an analysis and conclusion of all the data was incorporated. When comparing this report with other reports done of this nature in the few years prior to this publication, it appears that the proportion of minority disparities is remaining constant and in some instances increasingly getting worse both in RI and nationally. Blacks still account for an enormous percentage of the prison populations. As scholar and professor of law, Donna Coker points out in one of her essays, "The Supreme Court is unlikely to be moved to action by increasing evidence of racial disparities or evidence of the harms of those disparities.Political support for change requires, in part, addressing white complacency and support for racial injustice in the criminal justice system" (Coker 2003).
Reference List
Coker, Donna. "Foreword: Addressing the Real World of Racial Injustices In the Criminal Justice System." Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 93.4 (2003):
827-879
How to Access This Report
www.doc.state.ri.us/divisions/admin.