The ever-increasing incarceration rate among African American males has a lasting effect.  It removes potentially productive members from society and limits the growth of African American youth.   

Joe Kennedy….professor at the UNC school of law wrote an article in the summer issue of the Civil Liberties journal, and he says reducing the incarceration rate of African American males should be a primary concern of the civil rights movement.   

African American adults are eight times more likely than adults of other races to be incarcerated.  The rate of incarcerations has increased 500-percent over the last 30 years… the same period in which the U.S. population has increased 30-percent.  Not only do incarcerations remove people from their communities… but African American males lose the right to vote… are less likely to marry and have trouble finding even low skilled jobs.   Kennedy adds despite the apparent disintegration of the urban African American community there is a solution to this issue. 

Kennedy also says another avenue contributing to this issue is the transition from working poverty to unemployed poverty.