In light of modern America's tremendously high incarceration rate (especially among young black males), the Pew Charitable Trusts released a report on the costs in economic mobility of effects of incarceration on economic mobility. Among the top-line findings reported by the New York Times: the average income of former inmates was $23500 compared to an average inome of $39100 that they would have earned if never incarcerated. This resulted from lower wages and fewer working hours. Inmates also enjoyed reduced economic mobility compared to those who hadn't served time.

How big of an economic issue is incarceration? Pew offers one especially sobering statistic. More black males 20-35 who haven't graduated from high school are incarcerated at any given time than are employed.