Recent
USSC statistics cited by the authors show that just more than 70 percent of those serving time in federal prison are racial or ethnic minorities, so these findings align with known information.
To that end, the researchers were shocked to find that despite federal prison facilities being populated with ethnic minorities, they’re not typically the individuals being convicted.
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The majority of those convicted of receipt or possession of child pornography are White (86 percent); there are very few Black (4 percent), Hispanic (10 percent), or Native American (<1 percent) individuals charged with this offense.”
“The demography of individuals convicted of sexual abuse offenses is more mixed;
42 percent are White, 18 percent are Black, 10 percent are Hispanic, and 31 percent are Native American,” with the large percentage of Native Americans in this offense type explained by the fact that it likely reflects the legal jurisdiction of the federal government on Native American lands or reservations, the authors write.
In terms of sentencing, the researchers discovered a very different narrative.
Out of the individuals who are convicted of committing sexual abuse offenses, Black and Hispanic Americans receive longer sentences over time compared to White Americans.
To put this into statistical context, the authors write that Black individuals convicted of sexual abuse during FY 2006-2017 had a 1,330.47 percent increase in their sentences, whereas White individuals saw a decrease of 8.66 percent in their sentences.
The sentence length change of those convicted of child pornography are less stark, the authors detail, but the sentencing trend put in context of race and ethnicy tells the same story.
The authors say the findings of this study add to growing research that in sex abuse cases and child pornography cases, convicted individuals who are Black and Hispanic are receiving harsher punishments over time — even after accounting for factors such as age, sex, criminal history, and offense seriousness,
USA Today reported.