Help End Prison Gerrymandering Prison gerrymandering funnels political power away from urban communities to legislators who have prisons in their (often white, rural) districts. More than two decades ago, the Prison Policy Initiative put numbers on the problem and sparked the movement to end prison gerrymandering.

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—Peter Wagner, Executive Director
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Henry County, Iowa

According to the 2000 Census, Henry County, Iowa has a population of 20,336 people. Of those, 19,274 (95%) are White, 302 (1%) are Black, and 256 (1%) are Latino[1]. However, 1,007 (or 5% of the 20,336 people) are not residents by choice but are people in prison.

Even though prisoners cannot participate in the local community, the Census Bureau nevertheless counts them as residents of the county where they are incarcerated.

A more accurate description would not include the prisoners. This would give Henry County a population of 19,329 with a demographic that is 96% White, 1% Black, and 1% Latino.

Reported in
Census 2000
Incarcerated
population
Actual
population
Total 20,336 1,007 19,329
White 19,274 767 18,507
Black 302 156 146
Latino 256 52 204


Notes:

[1]The numbers for Whites, Blacks and Latinos may not add up to the total number because we have not included racial groups other than Whites and Blacks and because the Census Bureau considers "Latino" to be an ethnicity, not a race. Most of the people reported as being Latino are also counted as being White or Black.



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