ATLANTA (AP) - The number of African-Americans being locked up in Georgia's prison system has dropped to historic lows.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the trend represents a monumental shift in the way Georgia is punishing nonviolent offenders.
Records from the state Department of Corrections show that while prison admissions have dropped nearly 19 percent in the past eight years, the incarceration of black inmates fell by 30 percent.
The number of black inmates entering the prison system last year was at its lowest level in decades.
The newspaper reports that Georgia has long been condemned for its mass incarcerations of African-Americans, which has decimated communities across the state.
Black people make up nearly a third of Georgia's population and nearly two-thirds of its prison population. But records show that those numbers are turning around.
