About this Page:
I legit almost posted this page with Colorado labeled Missouri. You would have all had my heads! I had moved a ton of text boxes on the same layer but Missouri stayed in Colorado, lol. That would have been bad. I’m sure I’ll have a big screw up somewhere along the way, it’s inevitable. I just beg that you’re kind!
I chose incarceration rates for this page because I needed a good variable that would show contrast between total population and % of total population. Incarceration rates jumped in my head and I went with it. I will use it again on the next page where I talk about the difference between equal interval and equal frequency. I am jumping ahead of myself! Here is the data from the U.S. Department of Justice on incarceration rates. Incarcerated US Stats 200.
The data is from 2008, a bit dated, but I found that when trying to find new data on their website, it looks like 2008 was the last time they conducted such a large survey. After people read this page, it might lead to some though-provoking questions about WHY and WHERE, in terms of incarceration rates.
I am reminded of an explosive CNN interview where one guest fought another on why there were more blacks in jail, after all, he had the statistics to show that “naturally” more blacks were prone to crime. But what comes first? The statistics or the socio-economic/ethnic/race disparities? Statistics are important. As geographers we need statistics, but it is only half the story. We need to dig deeper. The answers are not always skin-deep.
Have a good one!
