What Sullivan says: <\/p>\n
Three times as many black men will spend tonight in a prison cell as in a college dorm room. That number is almost as bad for Hispanics. A quarter of a century ago, the ratio was even.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
What the study actually says<\/a>: <\/p>\n
The numbers, driven by men, do not include college students who live off campus. Previously released census data show that black and Hispanic college students — commuters and those in dorms — far outnumber black and Hispanic prison inmates. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Now my reading of this is that blacks and hispanics have moved off campus — much like the rest of the student body. The crowing headline that “three times as many black are in jail as in college” is pure hysterical race-baiting that misses and obfuscates the more important point:<\/p>\n
The data show that big increases in black and Hispanic inmates occurred since 1980. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Not stated is how big the increases have been for whites. I went to the Census Bureau website but their data is almost deliberately opaque. I couldn’t get a handle on what it actually said and nor find the answer to the real<\/i> question: Over the last 25 years, how has the incarceration rate<\/i> changed for blacks, white and hispanics?<\/p>\n
One things I’ve learned about social scientists. When they present you with answers to the wrong question, it’s because the answer to the right question didn’t fit their agenda.<\/p>\n
The real story here is that our prison population has exploded over the last thirty years, primarily because of the War on Drugs. That’s something that affects all<\/i> of us, not just black people. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. That needs to change. For everone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What Sullivan says: Three times as many black men will spend tonight in a prison cell as in a college dorm room. That number is almost as bad for Hispanics. A quarter of a century ago, the ratio was even. What the study actually says: The numbers, driven by men, do not include college students … Continue reading Fisking Sully<\/span>