Ames Tribune
The United States incarcerates more people per capita than any other country, with Black Americans disproportionately facing prison time — including in Iowa.
This pattern of punishment "is definitely a through line that started with slavery through today," Nicole Porter, director of advocacy at the Sentencing Project, said at a virtual Ames NAACP event Thursday.
The organization's Taking the Lead series this year is called "The Color of Injustice." A recording of Thursday's event, moderated by KCCI anchor/reporter Rheya Spigner, is available at facebook.com/AmesIowaBranchoftheNAACP.
In comparison to other states, Iowa is a "moderate incarceration" state, Porter said. But Iowa's prisons also have some of the nation's highest racial disparities.