Racial Disparity in Iowa Prisons: Possible Theoretical Explanations for Racial Differences Between Inmates on the Level of Service Inventory–Revised

Abstract

This article presents a test of several theoretically informed hypotheses that characterize differences between Whites and African Americans incarcerated in the Iowa prison system. The authors judge differences by comparing inmates’ responses on the Level of Service Inventory–Revised or LSI-R, which is a standardized risk/need assessment instrument used to classify Iowa inmates. The hypotheses are based on ideas found in theories of structural distributive justice, general strain theory (GST), and macro-structural explanations of crime. Iowa is an interesting case study because it ranks near the top in the United States in the proportion of Black to White prisoner disparity. This disparity serves as a lens that sharpens distinctions between the populations. The findings suggest that in comparison to White prisoners, African American inmates have higher total LSI-R scores than White inmates and that prior to incarceration African American prisoners had more difficulty finding work, were more likely to have an official record of violent crime, and were more likely to associate with people who were involved in crime than were White inmates. Additionally, the results suggest that in comparison to White inmates, African American prisoners were more likely to feel that their prison sentences were unfair and to act in ways that were indicative of this. These findings are consistent with explanations found in macro-structural theories of crime as well as concepts found in GST and structural distributive justice theory. The authors briefly discuss the implications of these findings.