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October 5, 2012

The Plight of Young, Black Men Is Worse Than You Think

Peter Coy:

The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate of any wealthy nation, with about 2.3 million people behind bars at any given moment. (That's 730 out of 100,000, vs. just 154 for England and Wales.) There are more people in U.S. prisons than are in the country's active-duty military. That much is well known. What's less known is that people who are incarcerated are excluded from most surveys by U.S. statistical agencies. Since young, black men are disproportionately likely to be in jail or prison, the exclusion of penal institutions from the statistics makes the jobs situation of young, black men look better than it really is.

That's the point of a new book, Invisible Men: Mass Incarceration and the Myth of Black Progress, by Becky Pettit, a professor of sociology at the University of Washington. Pettit spoke on Thursday in a telephone press conference.

Related: Robert Francis, the Texan judge closing America's jails
Until recently, these people would have been discarded in overcrowded prisons. After all they were caught in Texas - the toughest state of a nation that locks up more offenders than any other in the world, with more than one in every 100 adults behind bars. Instead they receive counselling and assistance with housing and employment, although they can be sent back to jail if they fail drug tests, abscond or reoffend. One woman, a crystal meth addict, tells me the sessions in court are like walking on eggshells. But there are small incentives for those doing well, such as $10 gift vouchers or - on the day I visited - barbecue lunch out with Francis. "These people have to believe we care and want them to succeed," he tells me later. "Once they believe in me they can start to change."

They are beneficiaries of a revolution in justice sweeping the United States, one with illuminating lessons for Britain. It is a revolt led by hardline conservatives who have declared prison a sign of state failure. They say it is an inefficient use of taxpayers' money when the same people, often damaged by drink, drugs, mental health problems or chaotic backgrounds, return there again and again.

Remarkably, this revolution was unleashed in "hang 'em high" Texas, which prides itself on its toughness and still holds more executions than other states. But instead of building more prisons and jailing ever more people, Texas is now diverting funds to sophisticated rehabilitation programmes to reduce recidivism. Money has been poured into probation, parole and specialist services for addicts, the mentally ill, women and veterans. And it has worked: figures show even violent crime dropping at more than twice the national average, while cutting costs and reducing prison populations.

Much more on the proposed Madison Preparatory IB charter school, here.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at October 5, 2012 1:44 AM
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Comments

I find it sad that while for decades the accused unAmerican liberals have been pushing for corrections and not for throw-away-the-key tough guy, make-my-day attitudes, nothing happened, and things got worse for everyone except for those in power.

Now, some crazed conservative after years of screwing up those already screwed finally decides its time to look at facts for once in his life and he gets credit.

Posted by: Larry Winkler at October 6, 2012 3:26 PM

1) Crazed conservatives did not create and expand the welfare state which was one of the leading causes behind the breakup of black families.

2) Crazed conservatives have not had control over the public school system which has for decades ignored black students.

3) The Obamaphone lady we were all treated to on the news a week or so ago is not the product of conservatism.

4) Nobody's boots have been on anyone's throats in this country for an awful long time.

5) Look where the biggest problems are by location and see who is in charge and who has been in charge for decades.

6) And then get back to me on who has screwed things up.

Posted by: Reed Schneider at October 7, 2012 7:22 PM

Reed,

Please get back to me when you're not full of it. Then perhaps, an intelligent conversation between us might lead somewhere.

Not holding my breath, mind you.

Posted by: Larry Winkler at October 7, 2012 9:54 PM
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