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title: "...here's a simple thought experiment. Imagine how the white and…"
date: 2016-02-27
source: facebook
type: Archer T. Ships shared a link.
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# ...here's a simple thought experiment. Imagine how the white and…

*February 27, 2016 · Facebook*

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[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/26/america-has-locked-up-so-many-black-people-it-has-warped-our-sense-of-reality/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/26/america-has-locked-up-so-many-black-people-it-has-warped-our-sense-of-reality/){target="_blank"}
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\...here\'s a simple thought experiment. Imagine how the white and black unemployment rates would change if all the people in prison were added to the unemployment rolls.\
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According to a Wonkblog analysis of government statistics, about 1.6 percent of prime-age white men (25 to 54 years old) are institutionalized. If all those 590,000 people were recognized as unemployed, the unemployment rate for prime-age white men would increase from about 5 percent to 6.4 percent.\
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For prime-age black men, though, the unemployment rate would jump from 11 percent to 19 percent. That\'s because a far higher fraction of black men --- 7.7 percent, or 580,000 people --- are institutionalized. \"
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