High profile incidents have brought to the forefront the issue of race and the criminal justice system, and it's become a talking point for some of the 2016 presidential candidates. 

During a recent nationally televised interview, Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Democratic presidential candidate from Vermont, noted that African-American male babies born today have a higher chance than any other group of being in trouble with the law.

During the interview, Sanders said this:

"A black male baby born today, if we do not change the system, stands a one-in-three chance (of) ending up in jail."

PolitiFact Florida took note of Sanders' comments and dug into the numbers to see if he was accurate, and reporter Joshua Gillin says that Sanders' claim rates MOSTLY TRUE. Gillin adds the numbers are a bit dusty.

"This statistic comes from the Bureau of Justice Statistics," Gillin said. "It's used quite a bit, and there's a reason for that:  The research dates back to 2001.  We're talking about data that's 14 years old, so it's not the most current of statistics."

Gillin noted, however, that the number is extrapolated to give a current perspective.  "There wasn't anything odd going on wth the extrapolation," Gillin said. "The research does seem to indicate that if a baby is born and they are black and they are male, there's a 1 in 3 chance that they will eventually be put in prison, and I'll note that we say 'jail' instead of 'prisons.'

Gillin said that even if you factor in the reduction in incarcerations of black males between 2001 and 2013, it will lower the 1 in-3 odds, but not enough to change the point of the claim.

Gillin also said that although Sanders used data that is roughly 14 years old, there's no evidence to say any other group than black males born today will stand a higher chance of being incarcerated, which leads to Sanders' claim being rated MOSTLY TRUE by PolitiFact.

 

SOURCES: Black males more at risk for jail?