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Indian surnames listed under multiple racial categories in US spark debate
Public prison records in several states show inmates with Indian surnames being classified as White, American Indian/Alaska Native, or Other rather than Asian.
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Ankita Baidya - Fri, 19, Jun 2026
- 04:33 EDT
- 194
nmates with Indian surnames classified under racial categories other than Asian. / Unsplash
Public prison records in several U.S. states have sparked debate online after users identified inmates with Indian surnames listed under racial categories such as White, American Indian/Alaska Native, or Other instead of Asian.
Examples shared on social media cited publicly accessible offender databases in North Carolina, Georgia and Michigan, where inmates with surnames commonly associated with the Indian diaspora, including Patel, appeared under racial classifications other than Asian.
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Not one Patel inmate is listed as Asian in this North Carolina DOC record. They’re classified as either White or American Indian/Native American. pic.twitter.com/GNG0poVh71
— Melissa (@MyUnveiledTruth) June 18, 2026
The records prompted questions about how race is recorded in correctional systems and whether inconsistent classifications could affect demographic data used by researchers, policymakers and criminal justice agencies.
Several social media users argued that such classifications could distort crime statistics by undercounting Asian inmates while inflating figures for other racial groups. However, no evidence has emerged suggesting that the classifications were deliberately manipulated.
Research from the National Bureau of Economic Research and guidance from state criminal justice agencies indicate that race classifications in justice records may be based on self-identification, arrest reports, historical records or intake procedures, which can result in inconsistencies across jurisdictions.
This Indian, Jitendra Patel, committed vehicular homicide and is classified as a White male in prison records. So, when crime stats are pulled, it will incorrectly show White males as having committed more crime than they really did, and Indians having committed less crime than… pic.twitter.com/vg73MqphLu
— Melissa (@MyUnveiledTruth) June 18, 2026
Among the examples circulating online was a Michigan Department of Corrections record that listed an inmate with the surname Patel as White. Similar examples were identified in prison databases in North Carolina and Georgia, where inmates with Indian surnames were categorized as White, American Indian/Alaska Native or Other.
The discussion has renewed broader conversations about racial classification in public records and the challenges government agencies face in maintaining consistent demographic data across different systems.
While the examples highlighted online have drawn significant attention, it remains unclear how widespread such discrepancies are nationwide. No state agency involved has publicly indicated that the classifications were the result of intentional misreporting.
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