Yes. In most countries, ethnic minorities—or racial minorities in certain cases—are over represented in the prison population. In the United States in particular, we know that blacks are over represented in the prison population, as they are among people convicted under the “ three strikes law”. In California, for example, Afro-Americans make up 28% of inmates in prisons, but they make up 34% of people convicted after two strikes and 44% after three strikes. In California, they truly are harder hit, generally speaking, by incarceration, but even more so under the two strikes and three strikes principle.
On November 15th, 2007. See this statement in context.