Apr 26, 2016

The Crippling Effect of Incarceration on Wealth

By Meredith Booker, Prison Policy Initiative
April 26, 2016

This article reports on a study by that appeared in the journal, Race and Social Problems. According to the article the study found: “The wealth disparity between young men who experience prison and those who never do is staggering.” The following graph gives visual representation to the stark realities of the racial disparities in wealth accumulation.

Graph showing the increasing wealth disparity by race and ethnicity between incarcerated and non-incarcerated young men starting at age 14. Whites who have never been incarcerated have the highest incomes, followed by Hispanic never incarcerated, Whites who have been incarcerated, Blacks who have never been incarcerated, Hispanics who have been incarcerated and Blacks who have been incarcerated.

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