Racial disparities in the Arkansas criminal justice system were discussed last night during a community meeting at Arkansas State University. Some eye-opening results from a research study were discussed during the meeting.
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s William H. Bowen School of Law conducted the study in 2013. A research team collected data from the institutional and mental health records of 836 prisoners who were convicted of robbery and homicides in the state. Professor Adjoa Aiyetoro of the UALR Bowen School of Law gave the initial findings of the study:
Reverend Malik Saafir with the University of Central Arkansas and Janus Institute for Justice says implicit bias training is needed to help prevent racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
Ayetoro also says those who are willing to share their stories can have those stories recorded for a video project about disparities. Also, she is pushing for legislation that will make racial impact statements just as common as fiscal impact statements and other impact statements that are considered by state lawmakers.
