Incarceration serves to remove offenders from a community, but also creates hardships on families, including the loss of an income or a caregiver, in addition to long-term effects on mental health for all involved. After incarceration, people often encounter challenges in obtaining meaningful employment, leading to reductions in long-term productivity, recidivism and widespread effects on a community's social, health and educational systems. Disparities in this rate by race or ethnicity can highlight structural differences in how communities are affected and treated by the public safety and criminal justice system.

In 2018, our region had incarceration rates of 86 of every 10,000 for Black or African Americans, 8 for Hispanic or Latinos, and 17 for whites. The state (excluding NYC) had a rate of 86 for Black or African Americans, 18 for Hispanic or Latinos, and 14 for whites (based on 2018 data, the latest nationally available). The Black or African American rate in our region was 5.1 times of that of whites in comparison to 6.1 times for the state (excluding NYC). The region's incarceration rates fell from 2000 to 2018 for most races and ethnicity, though the largest decreases were for Blacks and African Americans (32%). The state decreases were smaller for Blacks and African Americans and Hispanic or Latinos. Unlike the region, the state saw increases in its white rate during the same period.

Monroe County's rates were slightly lower than the region for Black or African Americans and for whites, and lower for Hispanics or Latinos. However, its rate for Blacks and African Americans was still 5.8 times that of whites (a larger gap than for the region and surrounding counties but on par with the state). While Monroe County's rates for Blacks and African Americans, and Hispanics or Latinos decreased from 2000 to 2018 (36% and 90%, respectively), its rates for whites increased by 1%. The surrounding counties had increased rates for Hispanic or Latinos, but their incarceration rates of Blacks and African Americans and whites were less than 1.5 times higher than Monroe County. Of the surrounding counties, Wayne County had the largest gap in Black and African American and white incarceration rates (18.5 times that of white rates respectively), while Wyoming had the smallest difference in rates.

Disparities in incarceration are the result of racialized stereotypes, policies and practices and community conditions. Stereotypes that portray Black and Latino people, especially males, as inherently dangerous, criminal, and violent lay the foundation for police surveillance and disparate and harsher treatment by the criminal justice system. Communities of color are more likely to be under surveillance and policies such as stop and frisk perpetuate increased police contact. Punitive drug laws have had disproportionate impact on Black and Latino communities. Even though Blacks and whites have similar rates of drug use, Black people are more likely to be arrested and experience harsher sentences. In general, whites experience less harsh sentenced when convicted of similar crimes as Black and Latinos. Given economic disparities, people of color are less likely to experience pre-trial release after arrest. The concentration of Black and Latino communities in highly segregated communities with limited economic opportunities and ineffective schools may also foster crime involvement.

Rates are for people in local jails at the county level and in prisons and county jails at the state level. Rates for subgroups at the state level only include the county jail population, not state prisons. National data reported here is missing five states that did not report.