Among African-Americans who have grown up during the era of mass incarceration, one in four has had a parent locked up at some point during childhood

For black men in their 20s and early 30s without a high school diploma, the incarceration rate is so high — nearly 40% nationwide — that they’re more likely to be behind bars than to have a job. The fact that so many black men are in prison is probably the main reason why crime rates have generally been declining over the last twenty years.