© 2024 WYPR
WYPR 88.1 FM Baltimore WYPF 88.1 FM Frederick WYPO 106.9 FM Ocean City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Maryland Leads US In Holding African Americans Behind Bars

Tony Hammond / Flickr / Creative Commons

A recent report by the Justice Policy Institute finds that Maryland imprisons African Americans at twice the national rate. More than 7 out of 10 prisoners in Maryland are African American, while the national average is 3 in 10.

Ryan King, the report’s author, says disparate treatment occurs at every level, from arrest to prosecution to sentencing. Read the report here.

And Gregory Carpenter, who spent two decades behind bars, describes how lengthy sentences for young black men disrupt families and whole communities.

Sheilah Kast is the host of On The Record, Monday-Friday, 9:30-10:00 am.
Maureen Harvie is Senior Supervising Producer for On the Record. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and joined WYPR in 2014 as an intern for the newsroom. Whether coordinating live election night coverage, capturing the sounds of a roller derby scrimmage, interviewing veterans, or booking local authors, she is always on the lookout for the next story.