NEW YORK – Blacks and Hispanics incarcerated in New York state prisons are more likely than whites to face further punishment once behind bars, according to a state inspector general report released Thursday.
A black person behind bars in New York between 2015 and 2020 was more than 22 percent more likely to receive a misconduct citation than a white person, according to the report, which analyzed allegations of misconduct which were ultimately rejected.
Meanwhile, a Hispanic person behind bars was 12 percent more likely.
Inspector General Lucy Lang said the state Department of Corrections has been unable to strategize to eliminate racial disparities for years. Her report was sparked by a 2016 New York Times investigation that found rampant racial epithets and disparate disciplinary treatments against the largely Black and Hispanic prison population.
Factors fueling the disparities likely range from explicit and implicit racial bias among prison staff. The report also noted changes in the demographics of the state’s prison population at a time when the number of people behind bars in New York City has decreased by 41 percent since 2015.
Lang called for annual anti-bias training for all state corrections employees, increased analysis of disciplinary data, wider use of centralized auditoriums, and expanded use of fixed camera systems in all state correctional facilities.
“There is no question that the criminal justice system is just one of many systems that have a disproportionate and devastating impact on New Yorkers of color,” Lang said in a statement. “Sadly, as our report’s six years of data reflects, while racial disparities may not start at the prison gates, unfortunately they don’t end there either.”
The state Department of Corrections plans to release a new handbook for hearing and reviewing officers to ensure incarcerated individuals get fair hearings.
The New York Department of Corrections will also consider adding staff training for implicit bias and said it hopes to hire more auditors statewide.
