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Economic Inequality - The Picture in Black and White

NCJ Number
105136
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 33 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1987) Pages: 287-299
Author(s)
T Joe
Date Published
1987
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article hypothesizes that at least part of the reason minority youth are overrepresented in the criminal justice system is that they see few prospects for future economic success in comparison to whites.
Abstract
Blacks are over three times as likely to be poor as whites; their median income is only half that of whites; their net worth (defined as total assets owned minus any liabilities) is only one-twelfth that of whites; and black men are twice as likely to be jobless as white men. Without radical changes in the use-service system, we should not be surprised if minority youths continue to remain outside the mainstream economy. (Author abstract)