From Providence Eye--

Data from the Prison Policy Initiative reveals that of Rhode Island’s 39 municipalities, Providence has the highest rate of imprisonment. This statistic can be attributed to the city having larger Black and Latino populations and the criminal justice system disproportionately policing these communities.

Neighborhoods like Upper South Providence that are a majority of people of color were ‘redlined’ in the 1930s—or, in other words, denied financial services—and are overrepresented in the incarcerated population. The correlation between racial discrimination, systemic inequalities, and imprisonment in America are complex and persistent, including here in Providence.

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