Race and Criminal Justice

In 2007, the Plain Dealer Cleveland Newspaper published its analysis of hundreds of low-level felony drug cases from 2004 to 2007. Their findings revealed that harsher sentences had been given to black defendants than white defendants whose charges were the same. Furthermore, alternative drug rehabilitation was more frequently offered to white defendants. This study prompted Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason to commission a study of racial inequalities in the criminal justice system and more than a year later the plans to begin are almost complete. Out of five proposals, The University of Cincinnati and the College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University were chosen to conduct the analysis of every aspect of case procedures from arrest to sentencing and the impact of race on these cases.

Read more about the study here.