Wisconsin Lawmakers Introduce "Minority" Impact Statement Legislation to address Incarceration Racial Disparity
Senator Nikiya Q. Harris and Representative Sandy Pasch’s introduction of minority impact statement legislation provides an opportunity for Wisconsin lawmakers to address the state’s high rate of racial disparity in incarceration. Similar to fiscal or environmental impact statements, minority impact statements provide legislators with a statistical analysis of the projected impact of policy changes prior to legislative deliberation. By doing so, the legislation would offer policymakers an opportunity to address public safety issues without aggravating existing racial disparities.
Marc Mauer, executive director of The Sentencing project, said: “In sponsoring minority impact legislation Senator Harris and Representative Pasch have demonstrated bold and necessary leadership. Issues of race and justice permeate American society, but nowhere are they as profound as in the criminal justice system.”
Nicole D. Porter, director of advocacy of The Sentencing Project, said: “We continue to be encouraged by state lawmakers who are committed to fairness in the criminal justice system. Minority impact statements offer a means by which policy makers can engage in a constructive and proactive assessment of racial disparities in the criminal justice system.”
This legislation is critically important for Wisconsin because the scale of racial disparity in the state is staggering.
A 2013 study by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee determined the state has the highest rate of black male incarceration in the nation. One of every eight adult African American males is incarcerated in the state, nearly double the national rate.