Blacks come through the courthouse doors in Dane County in numbers far greater than their representation in the general population. But after they?ve been convicted of a crime, blacks appear to receive similar sentences to whites for certain types of crimes, a new analysis has found.
The analysis – done for the Wisconsin State Journal and funded by the Center for Media, Crime and Justice – examined sentences for people convicted of Class F felony cases, a common class of crimes, in Dane County Circuit Court from 2008 through 2010.
Mentioned: Pamela Oliver, UW-Madison sociology professor and an expert on racial disparities in criminal justice systems.