African-Americans More Likely To Be Targets Of Prison Uses Of Force

A state report shows force was used disproportionately by Ohio prison staff against African-American inmates last year. The report by the state legislature's Correctional Institution Inspection Committee shows 65 percent of use of force incidents involved blacks, and 33 percent involved whites. Blacks make up 45.7 percent of the prison population. The total number of use of force incidents last year fell by 16 percent. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections says it has been working on a number of reforms to reduce overall prison violence.