By Andy Reyes
@areyes_62
According to data from the City of Chicago Data Portal, domestic battery with bodily harm offense was the most likely reason for someone to be arrested in Chicago in May 2022. A total of 202 people were arrested for domestic battery this May, with an additional 120 domestic battery offenses that did not result in bodily harm. This is trailed by arrests for possession of a controlled substance (144), non-domestic battery (120), driving on a suspended license (105), and finally retail theft (100).
Looking at the demographics of those who were arrested this May, the story remains similar to the past few months. Male, people of color are more likely to be arrested by CPD — almost 60% men, more than 70% Black. However, this should not be taken at face-value. A study by The Sentencing Project reveals the racial disparity between the people arrested and the people who commit crime. This is due to systemic racism in the police force, such as over-policing Black and Brown areas, as well as harsher sentencing for those people.
The problem of racism reflected in CPD data is not new. In-fact, CPD is 10 times more likely to use force against Black people than white people. There’s a similar disparity in this month’s data, as Black people make up over 70% of all arrests.
These visualizations highlight the top reasons for arrest as well as the demographics for all arrests in Chicago in May.