The Growth, Scope, and Spatial Distribution of People With Felony Records in the United States, 1948–2010

From a 2017 paper:

* Western and Pettit have shown that incarceration has become a routine life event for low-skilled black men—more common than serving in the military or earning a college degree (Pettit and Western 2004; Western 2006). The cumulative risk of imprisonment for black men ages 20–34 without a high school diploma stands at 68 % compared with
21 % of black men with a high school diploma and 28 % for white men without a high school diploma.

* In 1980, nearly 6 % of the adult male African American population had been to prison at some point (total prison/parole) compared with just less than 2 % of all adult men. By 2010, 15 % of African American adult males had spent time in prison versus 5.6 % of all adult males.

* These estimates are generally comparable with those obtained by other researchers applying different demographic techniques. Bonczar (2003) estimated that in 2001, 3 % of adults, 5 % of adult males, and 17 % of African American adult males had been to prison. Pettit and Western (2004) found that black men born between 1945 and 1949 had an 11 % chance of imprisonment, relative to a 21 % for the cohort of black men born between 1965 and 1969. These figures are generally congruent with our overall estimate that 15 % of black men had experienced imprisonment by 2010.

* California leads the nation with about 12 % of African American adults having a prison record.

* In California and Indiana, we estimate that at least one in four of all adult African Americans had a felony conviction history. Although it may seem implausible that more than 20 % of the African American adult population has a felony conviction history in such states, recall that at least 5 % of the African American population was currently under felony supervision in these states in 2010.

* Nationwide, approximately 8 % of all adults had a felony conviction as of 2010, but approximately 23 % of African American adults shared the same distinction. A staggering 33 % of African American adult males had a felony conviction by 2010.

About Luke Ford

I've written five books (see Amazon.com). My work has been covered in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and on 60 Minutes. I teach Alexander Technique in Beverly Hills (Alexander90210.com).
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