By the Numbers: 10 June 2024
86%
The percentage by which Black airmen in the rank E1–E4 were "more likely to be issued an Article 15 or referred to a court-martial than White airmen," according to a RAND Corporation report published earlier this year -- Racial Disparities in the Department of the Air Force Military Justice System.
Key Findings:
- Among enlisted male airmen rank E1–E4 (where discipline is most concentrated), Black airmen were 86 percent more likely to be issued an Article 15 or referred to a court-martial than White airmen.
- The disparities between White airmen and other race/ethnicity groups were markedly smaller: Article 15 and court-martial referrals were 27 percent more likely for American Indian/Alaska Native airmen, 8 percent more likely for Hispanic airmen, equally likely for Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander airmen, and less likely for Asian airmen than White airmen.
- Conditional on being issued an Article 15 or referred to a court-martial, there are no further racial disparities among Black airmen in the punishments received. Black airmen referred to a court-martial are actually less likely to be convicted than White airmen and face lower sentences. Among airmen issued an Article 15, there are no racial differences in punishments received.
- About one-fifth of the Article 15 and court-martial referral disparity between Black and White airmen is explained by racial differences in career field and variables that might proxy for offending rates, including ZIP code characteristics of the airman's home of record and their Armed Forces Qualification Test scores.
- The remaining four-fifths of the disparity in Article 15s and court-martial referrals is unexplained. Although definitive explanations are lacking, the results are consistent with a situation in which disparate treatment may be at least partly responsible for the disparity.
86%
The percentage by which Black airmen in the rank E1–E4 were "more likely to be issued an Article 15 or referred to a court-martial than White airmen," according to a RAND Corporation report published earlier this year -- Racial Disparities in the Department of the Air Force Military Justice System.
Key Findings:
- Among enlisted male airmen rank E1–E4 (where discipline is most concentrated), Black airmen were 86 percent more likely to be issued an Article 15 or referred to a court-martial than White airmen.
- The disparities between White airmen and other race/ethnicity groups were markedly smaller: Article 15 and court-martial referrals were 27 percent more likely for American Indian/Alaska Native airmen, 8 percent more likely for Hispanic airmen, equally likely for Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander airmen, and less likely for Asian airmen than White airmen.
- Conditional on being issued an Article 15 or referred to a court-martial, there are no further racial disparities among Black airmen in the punishments received. Black airmen referred to a court-martial are actually less likely to be convicted than White airmen and face lower sentences. Among airmen issued an Article 15, there are no racial differences in punishments received.
- About one-fifth of the Article 15 and court-martial referral disparity between Black and White airmen is explained by racial differences in career field and variables that might proxy for offending rates, including ZIP code characteristics of the airman's home of record and their Armed Forces Qualification Test scores.
- The remaining four-fifths of the disparity in Article 15s and court-martial referrals is unexplained. Although definitive explanations are lacking, the results are consistent with a situation in which disparate treatment may be at least partly responsible for the disparity.