Read the report here – ASIAN PRISONER SUPPORT COMMITTEE Data Report On Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated AAPIs

From 2019-2021, APSC collected survey data from 513 incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals from prisons and communities throughout California.

Preface: Much of the publicly available data (e.g. Bureau of Justice Statistics) does not disaggregate AAPI data — in fact, AAPIs are often categorized as “Other” in the official statistics. Oftentimes, ethnicity/race data is based on reporting by prison administrators that does not accurately reflect how an individual may self-identify.

In order to address this gap in information, APSC embarked on a survey project to reach as many AAPI incarcerated community members as possible. We mailed over 2,000 surveys across California’s penal system. Some prisons rejected our surveys and returned the mailings to APSC (no explanation was given). We are grateful to the 500+ individuals who filled out the survey.

As part of our outreach strategy, we looked up some common last names (targeting Vietnamese, Cambodian, Hmong, and Chinese) in CDCR’s inmate . This methodology makes this survey more heavily weighted towards Southeast Asian communities, and it underscores the need for further research and attention to all of our diverse AAPI communities.

Click here for interactive infographics