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United States of Disparities
On any given night in 2017, more than 42,000 youth were incarcerated across the United States. Youth of color are significantly more likely to be incarcerated than White youth. In 2017, Black youth were 4.6 times as likely as White youth to be incarcerated; Native American youth were 2.9 times as likely; and Latino youth were 1.4 times as likely. With 72 percent of all youth locked up for non-violent offenses, the U.S does not have an alarming crime problem; we have an alarming incarceration problem - one that harms primarily youth of color.
One piece of the solution to this long-standing problem is having accessible data. BI's "United States of Disparities" tool provides customizable searches that help illustrate the extent of racial and ethnic disparities in the use of incarceration in each state and nationwide. There is additional state and county level data available by clicking on any state.
Use the tools below to explore this issue »
- Please note: Imputation is used to address missing information about youth characteristics including race/ethnicity data. See our About page to learn more
- Due to minor differences in sources for youth population data, rates of detention, commitment and incarceration may vary slightly from those on the Easy Access to Juveniles in Residential Placement website.