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eridani

(51,907 posts) Tue Mar 1, 2016, 06:20 AM Mar 2016

America Has Locked Up So Many Black People It Has Warped Our Sense of Reality

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/35434-america-has-locked-up-so-many-black-people-it-has-warped-our-sense-of-reality

The hitch: A lot of black men aren't living at home and can’t look for jobs — because they’re behind bars.

Though there are nearly 1.6 million Americans in state or federal prison, their absence is not accounted for in the figures that politicians and policymakers use to make decisions. As a result, we operate under a distorted picture of the nation's economic health.

There's no simple way to estimate the impact of mass incarceration on the jobs market. But here's a simple thought experiment. Imagine how the white and black unemployment rates would change if all the people in prison were added to the unemployment rolls.

According to a Wonkblog analysis of government statistics, about 1.6 percent of prime-age white men (25 to 54 years old) are institutionalized. If all those 590,000 people were recognized as unemployed, the unemployment rate for prime-age white men would increase from about 5 percent to 6.4 percent.

For prime-age black men, though, the unemployment rate would jump from 11 percent to 19 percent. That's because a far higher fraction of black men — 7.7 percent, or 580,000 people — are institutionalized.

Now, the racial gap starts to look like a racial chasm. (When you take into account local jails, which are not included in these statistics, the situation could be even worse.)

10 replies

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America Has Locked Up So Many Black People It Has Warped Our Sense of Reality (Original Post) eridani Mar 2016 OP

That sucks mightily! (Why doesn't Bernie offer the better answer then?) highprincipleswork Mar 2016 #1

For starters, he has stated that drug addiction is a medical, not a legal problem eridani Mar 2016 #2

Despite Black leaders highlighting the Clintons and incarceration, Bernie keeps getting the shaft. highprincipleswork Mar 2016 #3

It's not really news that counting more people as unemployed would raise the unemployment rate. pinqy Mar 2016 #4

Because even prisoners are human beings? Fumesucker Mar 2016 #5

What does that have to do with anything? pinqy Mar 2016 #6

If prisoners get out of prison they will then be available for work Fumesucker Mar 2016 #7

Are you sure? pinqy Mar 2016 #9

But we can't add them to the unemployment rolls. Many of them are working for slave wages. KamaAina Mar 2016 #8

Black skin has been criminalized in America. MrScorpio Mar 2016 #10

highprincipleswork

(3,111 posts)

1. That sucks mightily! (Why doesn't Bernie offer the better answer then?)

Reply to eridani (Original post)

Tue Mar 1, 2016, 06:28 AM

Mar 2016

eridani

(51,907 posts)

2. For starters, he has stated that drug addiction is a medical, not a legal problem

Reply to highprincipleswork (Reply #1)

Tue Mar 1, 2016, 06:34 AM

Mar 2016

Simply eliminating the War on Some Drugs would end the disparate sentencing. I also think he should propose reopening ALL convictions for possession and small-scale dealing. (Which he might have done--haven't checked the platform lately.)

highprincipleswork

(3,111 posts)

3. Despite Black leaders highlighting the Clintons and incarceration, Bernie keeps getting the shaft.

Reply to eridani (Reply #2)

Tue Mar 1, 2016, 06:50 AM

Mar 2016

Really is sad the way a wedge is being created between White Liberals and Progressive and simply Democratic Blacks.

Very unfortunate alliance going on, which doesn't bode well for true Social Activism or Progressive progress in any direction, in my opinion.

pinqy

(596 posts)

4. It's not really news that counting more people as unemployed would raise the unemployment rate.

Reply to eridani (Original post)

Tue Mar 1, 2016, 08:31 AM

Mar 2016

But why would you want to include prisoners? Let's say 5 million jobs opened up tomorrow. How many could people in prison take? So the fact that those in prison (or those just not looking for work) are not working tells us nothing about the jobs market.

Fumesucker

(45,851 posts)

5. Because even prisoners are human beings?

Reply to pinqy (Reply #4)

Tue Mar 1, 2016, 10:25 AM

Mar 2016

pinqy

(596 posts)

6. What does that have to do with anything?

Reply to Fumesucker (Reply #5)

Tue Mar 1, 2016, 11:00 AM

Mar 2016

The unemployment rate is meant to measure how much available labor is not being used. Prisoners and people in institutions are not available. Military and children under 16 are also excluded because they have strong limitations on participation.

If there are 10 job openings and 100 people apply...that tells you something. The number of people not applying doesn't tell you anything.

Fumesucker

(45,851 posts)

7. If prisoners get out of prison they will then be available for work

Reply to pinqy (Reply #6)

Tue Mar 1, 2016, 05:14 PM

Mar 2016

The fact that the US has the highest incarceration rate in the world does have a lowering effect on the official unemployment rate since as you point out prisoners are off the normal labor market.

Bring the US incarceration rate within the norms of the rest of the developed world and the unemployment rate would be considerably higher all else being equal.

pinqy

(596 posts)

9. Are you sure?

Reply to Fumesucker (Reply #7)

Wed Mar 2, 2016, 08:55 AM

Mar 2016

Implied is that all prisoners would seek work without success (be unemployed). But many would go back to crime, remaining outside the labor force, and many would get jobs as part of probation/parole or just because they're not career criminals.

Next week is the reference week for the Current Population Survey, which is the source of the Labor Force Data. Let's release 1 million prisoners today. By next Saturday, March 12, how many will have died or left the country? How many will have found work? How many will have looked for work? Arbitrarily adding prisoners as unemployed artificially increases the rate.

KamaAina

(78,249 posts)

8. But we can't add them to the unemployment rolls. Many of them are working for slave wages.

Reply to eridani (Original post)

Tue Mar 1, 2016, 05:20 PM

Mar 2016

Not just making license plates, either. Best Western routes at least some of its incoming reservation calls to prisons. 30 percent of the firefighters this past wildfire season in California were prisoners. And so on.

MrScorpio

(73,631 posts)

10. Black skin has been criminalized in America.

Reply to eridani (Original post)

Wed Mar 2, 2016, 09:53 AM

Mar 2016

The numbers reveal the true face of racism in this country.

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