Nearly half of Black inmates in Outagamie County Jail are not county residents, according to survey

APPLETON – A newly released study shows Black people still make up a much higher percentage of Outagamie County Jail inmates than the overall Black population in the county, and are far more likely than white inmates to be from outside the county.

According to the study, 45% of Black inmates in Outagamie County were not county residents, compared with 30% of white inmates.

The study was presented by Matthew Richie, an assistant professor at the UW-Oshkosh Department of Criminal Justice, who compared the jail's Black and white populations on one day in 2019 with the same date in 2021 to measure any changes.

"Two years ago, this whole idea (to analyze jail population data) started because of the racial disparities in the jail," Richie said.

He presented his findings this month to the county's Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, which is looking into ways to address disparities and protect public safety.

Jail Capt. David Keisner and Criminal Justice Treatment Services Director Bernard Vertrone provided data for the study to better understand who was in the jail and why they were incarcerated.

Black people are jailed in disproportionately high numbers in counties all across Wisconsin, according to a USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin analysis of booking records from sheriff's offices. Black Wisconsinites have accounted for 6% of the state's overall population but 38% of all the people in jails and prisons, according to Prison Policy Initiative, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that examines mass incarceration.

Penny Robinson, co-chair of the ESTHER equity and racial justice committee, suggested that it was strange that such a high rate of non-resident Black people were incarcerated in Appleton. ESTHER, which stands for Empowerment Solidarity Truth Hope Equity Reform, is a nonprofit interfaith social justice organization in the Fox Valley.

"I am interested in what these jail statistics are telling us," Robinson said. "Why are there so many more African Americans incarcerated compared to the African American population in our county?"

Outagamie County District Attorney Melinda Tempelis agreed that the numbers needed a closer look to find explanations for the disparities.

"I just caution anybody from taking hard conclusions from this data," Tempelis said. "It doesn't reflect the bigger picture. It just gives us an opportunity to have conversations and dig into certain things a little bit more."

The study revealed a 78-person decline in total inmates between the two dates in 2019 and 2021. The percentage of inmates who are Black also dropped from 22% to 17.5%.

Advocates for justice reform who attended the virtual meeting to see Richie's presentation pointed out that, although the decline in the rate of Black inmates is an improvement, it's still many times higher than the actual Black population in the county. According to the 2020 Census, 1.6% of Outagamie County residents identified themselves solely as Black.

People of Progression, which advocates for resources and opportunities for Black Fox Valley residents, was one of the groups in attendance. The group's vice president, Kristen Gondek, said that some inmates might have been misrepresented in the study as non-county residents

“We've had more Black community members migrating to Appleton. I think there are a lot of folks who aren't saying that they're residents,” Gondek said. “I think that a lot of numbers — it's not just people driving through, it's people that live here.”

Gondek said that she hopes People of Progression can provide awareness and understanding for the Black population by using these statistics. She also hopes the county will enact policy changes as needed.

The study presented racial data only for people who are Black or white because of a low number of inmates from other demographic groups, Richie said. He said that the jail uses whatever address is given to officers by inmates.

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Richie said one factor in the high rate of Black incarceration is that marginalized people face barriers outside of the law, such as a lack of basic resources, that lead to criminal behavior.

"Black people struggle more," Richie said. "I think that directly leads to incarceration rates and arrest data."

The study also found that five fewer women were in jail on the one day in 2021 compared with the 2019 date, but the female portion of the inmate population increased by 2.3%, to 19.2%.

The percentage of women incarcerated for drug-related offenses decreased by 3%, while 1.5% more women were incarcerated for domestic violence, 6% more for property offenses and 6% more for intoxicated-driving offenses compared with the 2019 statistics.

Overall, the percentage of people incarcerated for warrant or traffic violations decreased, while extended supervision sanctions increased.

Outagamie County resident Karen Pfefferle asked the council to use these statistics to set priorities and focus areas, and continue to review policies related to incarceration. She also asked that more information about inmates be tracked after they're released from jail.

"I ask that our community continue to be educated," Pfefferle said. "We need to assess housing for the formerly incarcerated. We need to assess the access to career opportunities and adequate medical care for those being released into the community."

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Contact Roshaun Higgins at 920-205-1154 or rhiggins@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @row_yr_boat.

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This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Outagamie County Jail survey says most Black inmates non-residents