From: Don_R._Calkins@commonlink.com (Don R. Calkins)
Reply-To: Don_R._Calkins@commonlink.com
To: coatesrd@casmail.muohio.edu
Subject: Re: Update on Mississippi Murder trial of 15 yr.ol
Date: 24 Sep 1996 16:28:33 GMT
Organization: Common Link On-Line service
> I do believe that if one adjusts the rates of crime in any
> given neighborhood in the USA for the relevant and prevailing level of
> economic deprivation, the association of crime with racial identity becomes
> very weak or dissolves altogether!

There has been a matched pair study covering about 5 years of convictions in
the greater Des Moines area.  It shows that time spent in prison is 8-10 per
cent greater for blacks than whites.  With an average time of imprisonment of
less than 2 years, the typical increase was about 6 weeks.  The results came
as a surprise both to those who tho't there was no prejudice and those who
made some rather outlandish claims for racial differences.  It is not clear
from the study the independent effect of sentencing and early release
programs.  

The same person also did a study on recidivism for the Florida parole board
about 14 years ago.  The study has never, to my knowledge, been publicly
released or published.  I was permitted to read a file copy of the
researcher.  It shows that the most important readily available predictor of
recidivism was skin color.  A major portion of the paper discusses the effect
of racism on economic status as well as a sense of alienation.  He concluded
that the major true cause of recidivism was the combination of these two
factors and that to simply use skin color as the determining factor was
itself a racist response tho' it would reduce the recidivism rate.  

This raises an interesting question concerning justice, reminiscent of the
60's short story 'Daniel White for the Greater Good'.  (Poss by Harlan Elison
in a book called 'No Doors, No Windows - stories of the hung-up generation')
A retarded black youth in Missouri is accused of raping a white woman and put
in the county jail.  A lynch mob forms capable of overwhelming the jail. The
story is the discussion of what to do between the sheriff and the deputy. 
They ultimately decide to abandon the jail and notify the national media,
fully aware that Daniel White will be lynched but convinced that the media
uproar will do more for the cause of racial justice than attempting to save
him.  Since he will never make a 'meaningful' contribution to society, they
sacrifice Daniel White for the 'greater good'.  Very powerful and
controversial story at the time.  

Don C





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