Question

What percentage of the U.S. population do African Americans represent, and what percentage of the incarcerated population is Black?

a) African Americans represent 13% of the U.S. population, and 40% of the incarcerated population is Black.

b) African Americans represent 40% of the U.S. population, and 13% of the incarcerated population is Black.

c) African Americans represent 20% of the U.S. population, and 30% of the incarcerated population is Black.

d) African Americans represent 13% of the U.S. population, and 20% of the incarcerated population is Black.

Answer 1

African Americans represent 13% of the U.S. population and 40% of the incarcerated population, illustrating a significant disparity and raising questions about racial inequities in the justice system.

Step-by-step explanation:

The percentage of the U.S. population that African Americans represent is 13%. However, the percentage of the incarcerated population that is Black is disproportionately higher. Among the given options, the correct one is a) African Americans represent 13% of the U.S. population, and 40% of the incarcerated population is Black.

The disparities in these percentages raise serious questions about equality and systemic issues. With African Americans constituting nearly 1 million of the total 2.3 million incarcerated population, these figures suggest substantial racial inequities in the justice system. Issues like these may reflect a lack of equal opportunity and suggest the persistence of unresolved problems that the Civil Rights movement aimed to address. These inequities are further highlighted when considering that African American men are almost six times as likely to be imprisoned as white men.