An “an in-depth examination of racial disparities in imprisonment at both the national and California state levels” will be the focus of the next Conversations on Race and Policing, scheduled for noon Wednesday, April 17.

Thaddeus Johnson, assistant professor of criminal justice and criminology at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University, will present “Reducing Community Violence to Close the Racial Gap in U.S. Imprisonment.” The talk is free and open to the public and can be accessed on the program’s Zoom page.

According to the program webpage, “With the substantial narrowing of the racial gap in drug-related incarceration between Black and white Americans, the most pronounced — and persistent — racial disparity now exists among people incarcerated for violent felony offenses. These offenses also account for a disproportionately large share of prison admissions. Currently, about two-thirds of the U.S. prison population, and over half of those incarcerated in California State prisons, are serving sentences for violent crimes.”

Johnson will discuss “the limitations of recent sentencing reforms and highlight their inadequate attention to violent offenses.”

In addition to teaching, Johnson, a former ranking law enforcement official in Memphis, Tenn., is a senior fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice. His current research focuses on police policy and innovations, urban violence, crime control and racially disparate justice outcomes. He is the author or co-author of numerous articles and reports, and a book, "Deviance Among Physicians: Fraud, Violence and the Power to Prescribe." In addition to having his research featured in national media outlets, he has written on police reform issues for the popular press and appeared on numerous broadcast radio and TV news programs in the U.S. and Europe.

The Conversations on Race and Policing program began after the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and its aftermath. Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer, triggering extensive protests, demands for systemic reform in policing, and profound dialogues on race and racism. This also led to the inception of Cal State San Bernardino’s Conversations on Race and Policing, abbreviated as CoRP.

In subsequent court cases, three other former Minneapolis police officers implicated in Floyd’s death were given prison sentences.

The series has featured scholars, journalists, law enforcement officers, lawyers, activists, artists, educators, administrators and others from throughout the nation who shared their experience and expertise on issues related to race and policing.

More than 110 forums have taken place since, and video recordings of the sessions are posted online on the Conversations on Race and Policing Lecture Series Archive. 

Upcoming programs, which take place at noon on Wednesdays (unless otherwise noted) include:

The series organizers currently include CSUSB faculty, staff, alumni, and community members, as well as collaborators from other institutions: Amber Broaden (CSUSB and CSU Dominguez Hills, psychology), Stan Futch (president, Westside Action Group), Michael German (Brennan Center for Justice), Robie Madrigal (Pfau Library), Jeremy Murray (CSUSB History), Matt Patino (Crafton Hills College adjunct faculty and CSUSB alumnus), and Mary Texeira (CSUSB sociology).

For more information, contact Madrigal at rmadriga@csusb.edu or Murray at jmurray@csusb.edu.

Also visit the Conversations on Race and Policing webpage.