"Degraded character of the colored population.—The first cause, existing in society, of the frequency and increase of crime is the degraded character of the colored population. The facts, which are gathered from the penitentiaries, to show how great a proportion of the convicts are colored, even in those States where the colored population is small, show, most strikingly, the connection between ignorance and vice."
The report proceeds to sustain its assertions by statistics, which prove, that, in Massachusetts, where the free colored people constituted one seventy-fourth part of the population, they supplied one-sixth part of the convicts in her penitentiary; that in New York, where the free colored people constituted one thirty-fifth part of the population, they supplied more than one-fourth part of the convicts; that, in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, where the colored people constituted one thirty-fourth part of the population, they supplied more than one-third part of the convicts; and that, in New Jersey, where the colored people constituted one-thirteenth part of the population, they supplied more than one-third part of the convicts.
"It is not necessary," continues the report, "to pursue these illustrations. It is sufficiently apparent, that one great cause of the frequency and increase of crime, is neglecting to raise the character of the colored population.
"We derive an argument in favor of education from these facts. It appears from the above statement, that about one-fourth part of all the expense incurred by the States above mentioned, for the support of their criminal institutions, is for the colored convicts. * * Could these States have anticipated these surprising results, and appropriated the money to raise the character of the colored population, how much better would have been their prospects, and how much less the expense of the States through which they are dispersed for the support of their colored convicts! * * If, however, their character can not be raised, where they are, a powerful argument may be derived from these facts, in favor of colonization, and civilized States ought surely to be as willing to expend money on any given part of its population, to prevent crime, as to punish it.
"We can not but indulge the hope that the facts disclosed above, if they do not lead to an effort to raise the character of the colored population, will strengthen the hands and encourage the hearts of all the friends of colonizing the free people of color in the United States."
The Second Annual Report of the Society, dated June 1, 1827, gives the results of its continued investigations into the condition of the free colored people, in the following language and figures:
"Character of the colored population.—In the last report, this subject was exhibited at considerable length. From a deep conviction of its importance, and an earnest desire to keep it ever before the public mind, till the remedy is applied, we present the following table, showing, in regard to several States, the whole population, the colored population, the whole number of convicts, the number of colored convicts, proportion of convicts to the whole population, proportion of colored convicts:
| Whole Population. | Colored Population. | Whole number of Convicts. | Number of Colored Convicts. | Proportion of Colored People. | Proportion of Colored Convicts. | |
| Mass. | 523,000 | 7,000 | 314 | 50 | 1 to 74 | 1 to 6 |
| Conn. | 275,000 | 8,000 | 117 | 39 | 1 to 34 | 1 to 3 |
| N. York | 1,372,000 | 39,000 | 637 | 154 | 1 to 35 | 1 to 4 |
| N. Jersey | 277,000 | 20,000 | 74 | 24 | 1 to 13 | 1 to 3 |
| Penn. | 1,049,000 | 30,000 | 474 | 165 | 1 to 34 | 1 to 3 |
"Or,
| Proportion of the Population sent to Prison. | Proportion of the Colored Popu'n sent to Prison. | |
| In Massachusetts, | 1 out of 1665 | 1 out of 140 |
| In Connecticut, | 1 out of 2350 | 1 out of 205 |
| In New York, | 1 out of 2153 | 1 out of 253 |
| In New Jersey, | 1 out of 3743 | 1 out of 833 |
| In Pennsylvania, | 1 out of 2191 | 1 out of 181 |