“We cannot build enough prisons to solve this problem. And the idea that we can keep incarcerating and keep incarcerating — pretty soon we’re not going to have a young African-American male population in America. They’re all going to be in prison or dead. One of the two.”
When asked what can be done about "inner-city kids partaking in violence" the Democratic Presidential Candidate John Edwards provided the above statement.
Mr. Presidential Candidate, As President of the United States what is your solution to this problem?
National Review On-line provided the following data: http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=Yjk3OGY3MDI4NjcyMGZjZjhjZTY2NDhmZTlkODhkMWI=
Despite popular misperception and those who find it a convenient talking point to illustrate inescapable racism, there are more young African-American men in college than in prison. In 2005, according to the Census Bureau, there were 864,000 black men in college. According to Justice Department statistics, there were 802,000 in federal and state prisons and jails; between the ages of 18 and 24, however, black men in college outnumber those incarcerated by 4 to 1.
UPDATE: Some readers are finding the numbers above confusing. The first set of numbers (comparing 864,000 to 802,000) refers to all black men of all ages. The 4 to 1 ratio is among black men between the ages of 18 to 24. In other words, a large percentage of that 802,000 are black men above the age of 24.
What does this say to the young African American males, who outnumber those who are in federal and state prisons, about how the Democratic Presidential Candidate feels about their reputation and future?
