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.

Can you help us continue the fight? Thank you.

—Peter Wagner, Executive Director
Donate

Russell County, Virginia

According to the 2000 Census, Russell County, Virginia has a population of 30,308 people. Of those, 29,118 (96%) are White, 934 (3%) are Black, and 237 (1%) are Latino[1]. However, 1,217 (or 4% of the 30,308 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 Russell County a population of 29,091 with a demographic that is 99% White, 1% Black, and 1% Latino.

Reported in
Census 2000
Incarcerated
population
Actual
population
Total 30,308 1,217 29,091
White 29,118 448 28,670
Black 934 721 213
Latino 237 67 170


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.



Stay Informed


Get the latest updates:



Share on 𝕏 Donate