Prisoners of Misleading Facts

A key finding in a new Department of Justice report on the nation’s prison population is attracting considerable attention: nearly 7 percent of black males were in prison in 1994, compared with less than 1 percent of white males. These facts—which seem to confirm the view that a crime-prone African-American underclass is terrifying our society and overwhelming our criminal justice system—are misleading. They perpetuate racial stereotypes that don’t help us address the realitie...