Marvin King, TheLoop21.com
- Some of my more recent columns at TheLoop21.com have focused on the devastating role of unemployment and the underground economy on the black community. One aspect of this is that blacks are more likely to need to relocate in order to find economic success. Another, more insidious aspect of poor local economics in the black community is high crime.
There are two consequences of this. First, too many blacks live in high-crime areas, which research concludes leads to higher stress levels. In other words, we are making life harder for our families and ourselves.
The second consequence is the high rates of black incarceration. I am no Pollyanna. Some of these folks need to be in jail. Intimidating people with a gun is no laughing matter, and criminals should face the consequences of their actions. However — and only the most hawkish criminal justice-types dispute this — far too many blacks are in jail for too long for first-time and non-violent offenses.
