The majority of prison inmates come from and return to disadvantaged minority communities. At low levels, the experience of incarceration is largely an individual and family matter. However, at high levels of incarceration, communities must support increasing numbers of economically and socially impaired men, women, and children. That burden might exacerbate existing strains within the community, such as unemployment and crime. One important aspect of inner-city communities is that a significant segment of their economy has become criminalized, with an emphasis on drug marketing, while resources to deal with this problem and with unemployment have been shrinking. The article discusses the need for understanding the extent to which inner-city male street subcultures have been influenced by ex-inmates, whose joblessness is critical to the whole scenario and whose influence in their peer groups is pivotal. Policy makers should find alternatives to incarceration for lower-level drug dealers and jobs for ex-offenders. Notes, table, references