{"id":13442,"date":"2011-05-18T12:49:45","date_gmt":"2011-05-18T17:49:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/?p=13442"},"modified":"2011-05-18T13:11:56","modified_gmt":"2011-05-18T18:11:56","slug":"wisconsin-v-minnesota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/2011\/05\/wisconsin-v-minnesota\/","title":{"rendered":"Wisconsin v. Minnesota"},"content":{"rendered":"

Given the many demographic and cultural similarities between these midwestern neighbors, I\u2019ve long been intrigued by how dramatically different the incarceration rates are in Wisconsin and Minnesota. \u00a0How is it that Wisconsin\u2019s per capita incarceration is twice Minnesota\u2019s? \u00a0My diligent research assistant Joe Gorndt has gathered some data to try to shed light on this problem. \u00a0First, here is the basic demographic data:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0<\/td>\nMinnesota<\/span><\/td>\nWisconsin<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Population (2009)<\/td>\n5.3 mm<\/td>\n5.7 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Age under 18<\/td>\n24.3%<\/td>\n23.6%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Age over 65<\/td>\n12.4%<\/td>\n13.2%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Over 25, HS diploma<\/td>\n91.1%<\/td>\n89.0%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bachelor degree<\/td>\n31.2%<\/td>\n25.5%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Below poverty line<\/td>\n10.0%<\/td>\n11.1%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Foreign born<\/td>\n5.3%<\/td>\n3.6%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Unemployment<\/td>\n5.8%<\/td>\n6.1%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not much to distinguish the states here. \u00a0The most notable difference seems to be the higher percentage of adults with college degrees in Minnesota, but this is hardly a dramatic difference and doesn\u2019t seem likely to explain the imprisonment disparity.<\/p>\n

Now take a look at the crime and criminal-justice statistics, courtesy of the National Institute of Corrections.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0<\/td>\nMinnesota<\/span><\/td>\nWisconsin<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Prison population<\/td>\n9986<\/td>\n21110<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Parole population<\/td>\n5081<\/td>\n18105<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Probation population<\/td>\n127627<\/td>\n50418<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Crime rate<\/td>\n3.11%<\/td>\n3.03%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Violent crime<\/td>\n0.26%<\/td>\n0.27%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Property crime<\/td>\n2.85%<\/td>\n2.76%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Incarceration rate<\/td>\n0.19%<\/td>\n0.37%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cost\/inmate<\/td>\n$32,573.00<\/td>\n$31,806.00<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Crime rates are incidents\/population in 2008.<\/p>\n

What is striking here, besides the imprisonment disparity, is an even more marked disparity in the probation population going the other direction. \u00a0In fact, it turns out that Minnesota has far more total people under criminal-justice supervision than Wisconsin. \u00a0The difference is that Minnesota keeps its offenders in the community, while Wisconsin sends its offenders to prison. \u00a0Interestingly, it does not appear that these tendencies result in materially higher crime rates in Minnesota; in fact, Minnesota\u2019s violent crime rate is slightly below Wisconsin\u2019s.<\/p>\n

One question that I was particularly interested in exploring was whether Minnesota\u2019s admirable sentencing guidelines should get the credit for the state\u2019s relatively low incarceration rate.\u00a0\u00a0There might be something to this, although there seems to be more going on than just the guidelines.\u00a0 The guidelines went into effect in 1980.\u00a0 The table below indicates the prison population of each state from 1977 through 1996.\u00a0 As you can see, there was a marked disparity between the two states even before the guidelines.\u00a0 However, the disparity became even greater in the guidelines period.\u00a0 Both states saw their prison populations explode in the 1980\u2019s and 1990\u2019s, but Wisconsin\u2019s grew at an even faster rate than Minnesota\u2019s.\u00a0 Minnesota\u2019s population nearly tripled, but Wisconsin\u2019s nearly quadrupled.\u00a0 It is possible that the guidelines helped to restrain the Minnesota growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0<\/td>\nMinnesota<\/span><\/td>\nWisconsin<\/span><\/td>\nMN\/WI<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1977<\/td>\n1755<\/td>\n3347<\/td>\n0.52<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1978<\/td>\n1837<\/td>\n3432<\/td>\n0.54<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1979<\/td>\n1984<\/td>\n3677<\/td>\n0.54<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1980<\/td>\n1884<\/td>\n3788<\/td>\n0.5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1981<\/td>\n1909<\/td>\n4249<\/td>\n0.45<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1982<\/td>\n2149<\/td>\n4441<\/td>\n0.48<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1983<\/td>\n2235<\/td>\n4226<\/td>\n0.53<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1984<\/td>\n2331<\/td>\n4845<\/td>\n0.48<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1985<\/td>\n2495<\/td>\n5243<\/td>\n0.48<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1986<\/td>\n2515<\/td>\n5554<\/td>\n0.45<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1987<\/td>\n2706<\/td>\n5847<\/td>\n0.46<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1988<\/td>\n2942<\/td>\n6159<\/td>\n0.48<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1989<\/td>\n3140<\/td>\n6669<\/td>\n0.47<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1990<\/td>\n3215<\/td>\n7247<\/td>\n0.44<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1991<\/td>\n3516<\/td>\n7686<\/td>\n0.46<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1992<\/td>\n3849<\/td>\n8191<\/td>\n0.47<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1993<\/td>\n4060<\/td>\n8781<\/td>\n0.46<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1994<\/td>\n4372<\/td>\n10022<\/td>\n0.44<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1995<\/td>\n4628<\/td>\n11199<\/td>\n0.41<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1996<\/td>\n4804<\/td>\n12530<\/td>\n0.38<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cross posted at Life Sentences Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Given the many demographic and cultural similarities between these midwestern neighbors, I\u2019ve long been intrigued by how dramatically different the incarceration rates are in Wisconsin and Minnesota. \u00a0How is it that Wisconsin\u2019s per capita incarceration is twice Minnesota\u2019s? \u00a0My diligent research assistant Joe Gorndt has gathered some data to try to shed light on this 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