New Jersey Incarceration — beyond county lines
The state of New Jersey holds a number-one ranking that is far from praise-worthy — the biggest gap between black and white incarceration rates in the entire country. According to a new report from Washington, D.C.-based The Sentencing Project, New Jersey puts black residents behind bars at 12 times the rate they do white residents. Going further into New Jersey’s incarceration rates, we see that there are disparities among counties as well, with Essex County having a disproportionately higher rate of individuals in correctional facilities. It seems likely that the demographics by county accurately reflect the disparities in incarceration rates. Essex County has 15% of the state’s committed individuals (individuals in a correctional facility), and 27% of the state’s black population. Hunterdon County, one of the richest counties in the entire country, has less than 1% of the state’s committed individuals and is approximately 92% white. Taking these figures into account, we must question the familiarity a Hunterdon or Sussex county native could have with the incarceration system in their home state. In other words, when a county such as Hunterdon, which is not the smallest or even second smallest by population size, is home to so few of the state’s incarcerated, we can assume that there is a knowledge gap that exists in this county as well as others like it. The knowledge gap I speak of includes a lack of understanding of the system itself, the experience of being in a correctional facility, and the process of re-entering society afterward.
The gap between those who understand the experience of interacting with the criminal justice system and those who do not boils down to familiarity on either side of the spectrum. Those in Essex or Camden counties, home to about a third of the state’s committed individuals, are all too familiar with the incarceration state in New Jersey, whether it be through firsthand or secondhand experience. On the opposite side of the spectrum are Hunterdon, Morris, and Sussex counties, with a combined total of committed individuals that pales in comparison to their urban counterparts. Judging by the numbers, an overwhelming majority of residents in the latter counties have not only not been in contact with the criminal justice system themselves, but they likely do not know anyone who has either. Considering the gap that exists between those who are familiar with the system and those who are not, we must discuss the manner in which we can portray these stories effectively to an audience that has no personal knowledge. Storytelling is an effective and powerful tool in creating a dialogue about pressing issues. Organizations such as The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization that seeks to create a sense of urgency about the U.S. criminal justice system, are vital in the effort to make people more aware of how the criminal justice system functions. Another project aimed at drawing awareness and reform to the criminal justice system is the Innocence Project, which exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing with hopes of preventing further injustices. The Innocence Project supports exonerees after they leave prison, and shares their stories with the public in order to gain support and awareness.
I was lucky enough to speak with an individual who not only worked on the Innocence Project, but is pioneering her own storytelling project through documentary theater. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg worked as a case analyst for the Innocence Project, reviewing trial transcripts as well as police and lab reports. Currently, Elizabeth is working on a documentary theater piece titled Life, Death, Life Again: Children Sentenced to Die in Prison. This piece features interviews with people who were convicted of crimes they committed as children and sentenced to life, as well as family members of murder victims who have chosen to forgive and reconcile with the youth who killed their loved ones. In our discussion about her creative project, Elizabeth helped me come up with an idea on how to use creative engagement to portray the stories and experiences of those who have been in contact with the criminal justice system to an audience that does not have any personal knowledge. As discussed earlier, there are facts and figures that depict the way incarceration rates affect urban and minority populations in New Jersey. Elizabeth and I discussed that perhaps a good way to bring these numbers to life in a way that portrays the existence of a knowledge gap is to use a GIS map, a map that can communicate, perform analysis, and show complexity of data.
Considering the figures discussed earlier, as well as the discussion with Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg, I am interested to see the way creative engagement can serve to portray the figures and information I am working with. GIS mapping, with the aid of poll/survey data as well as county demographics and population statistics can portray the manner in which the percentage of committed individuals varies greatly beyond county lines. In turn, I am hopeful that this information will elucidate the stories of those who have been in contact with the criminal justice system to a population of those who are in a suspected knowledge gap on the topic.
