A new report by The Sentencing Project shows Black Americans are incarcerated in state prisons at nearly five times the rate of White Americans.

According to the 25-page report, which used data and projections from the US Census, the US Bureau of Justice Statistics and information provided directly from some states, 81 Black adults per 100,000 people in the United States are serving time in a state prison.

Additionally, the Oct. 13 report found in 12 states more than half of the prison population is Black and the Latin community is incarcerated in state prisons at a rate that is 1.3 times the incarceration rate of Whites.

Wisconsin leads the country with the highest rate of Black inmates, which has been the case for years. According to the UWM Employment and Training Institute study, most of the offenses are drug-related charges.

Ashley Nellis, a senior research analyst for The Sentencing Project, stated in the report.

“Truly meaningful reforms to the criminal justice system cannot be accomplished without acknowledgement of its racist underpinnings. Immediate and focused attention on the causes and consequences of racial disparities is required in order to eliminate them.”