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Sunday, February 27th, 2022

‘Staggering’ study reveals nearly half of unemployed U.S. men have criminal convictions

Author:     RODRIGO PÉREZ ORTEGA
Source:     Science
Publication Date:     18 FEB 20223:10 PM
 Link: ‘Staggering’ study reveals nearly half of unemployed U.S. men have criminal convictions
Stephan:   I had no idea that one-third of American adults have been arrested at least once, that is an astonishing number, unlike any other developed country. In the interest of full disclosure, I was arrested multiple times back in the late 50s and early 60s for participating in civil rights demonstrations. Disorderly conduct and a $25 fine. I have always been rather proud of that, and it never stopped me from getting a job, or above Top Secret clearances when I was in government.
Researchers say employment services should now take into account that almost half of unemployed U.S. men have criminal convictions. Credit: Paul Vernon/AP

One in three adults in the United States has been arrested at least once, a strikingly high number compared with many other countries. Now, a new study reveals one of the implications of that figure: Nearly half of unemployed U.S. men have a criminal conviction by age 35, which makes it harder to get a job, according to an analysis of survey data.

The findings suggest having a criminal justice history is pushing many men to the sidelines of the job market, says sociologist Sarah Esther Lageson of Rutgers University, Newark, who was not involved in the study. “I’m not sure that many people understand just how prevalent an arrest is,” she says. “It really shows up [that unemployment] is actually a mass criminalization problem. … Because arrests are so common, they shouldn’t be considered in an employment context at all,” she says.

The work began when Amy Solomon, then head of the Federal Interagency Reentry […]

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1 Comment

  1. Albus Eddie on Monday, February 28, 2022 at 5:36 am

    This is how the “accountability culture” works. Accountability for the poor while turning a blind eye to the transgressions of the wealthy and well connected. This process is a feature of the system, not a bug. Remember, from an engineering perspective: The purpose of a thing is what it does. Not what it is “supposed” to do, not what you are told it does, but what it actually does.