ATLANTA (AP) – The number of African-Americans being locked up in Georgia’s prison system has dropped to historic lows.
The trend represents a monumental shift in the way Georgia is punishing nonviolent offenders, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
While prison admissions have dropped nearly 19 percent in the past eight years, the incarceration of black inmates fell by 30 percent, according to records from the Georgia Department of Corrections.
The number of black inmates entering the prison system last year was at its lowest level in decades, records show.
Georgia has long been condemned for its mass incarcerations of African-Americans, which has decimated communities across the state, the newspaper reported.