# Are There More Us Black Men In Prison Or College?



## fasika (Mar 17, 2013)

I thought this was interesting.





> Are there more black men in prison than in college in the United States?
> 
> It's an oft-repeated claim that there are more black men in prison in the US than in college. It's a good statistic that apparently gets to the heart of the problem of inequality in the US, but is it having a negative effect on young black men? And, more importantly, is it true?
> 
> ...



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21791038


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## fasika (Mar 17, 2013)

I thought this article raised 2 very important points:


- Are the stats published about blacks actually accurate? Specially negative stats?

- Does repeating these negative stats hold back people instead of motivating them to do better?


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## BEAUTYU2U (Mar 17, 2013)

I thought this was a myth. They're looking at a certain age bracket but referring to the whole BM population.


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## Southernbella. (Mar 17, 2013)

I'm a big fan of considering the source and questioning the veracity of any claims made about black folks. The 72% oow stat is another that gets thrown around all the time but isn't exactly true.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using LHCF


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## LoveisYou (Mar 17, 2013)

fasika said:


> I thought this article raised 2 very important points:
> 
> 
> - Are the stats published about blacks actually accurate? Specially negative stats?
> ...



I think these negative messages do a lot more harm than we realize. These messages further the idea that black is bad/negative. If you are black and internalize these messages then you believe consciously or subconsciously that there's something wrong with you. Why is the black community in general inundated with negative messages when every community has its issues.....worth thinking about.


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## Southernbella. (Mar 17, 2013)

I agree that the messages are harmful. What's most upsetting to me is that a lot of us parrot them and sometimes even defend them when others raise questions, accusing people of being in denial.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using LHCF


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## Rocky91 (Mar 17, 2013)

The messages are especially harmful when not accompanied by information on the societal injustices that lead to these (questionable) stats. The conversation turns into "personal responsibility" and "why can't we do better" instead of critiquing institutionalized racism.

Sent from my phone-typos to be expected


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## Crackers Phinn (Mar 17, 2013)

Well if there are more black men in college than was previously reported, maybe now black women will get less flack about wanting an educated partner.


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## ambergirl (Mar 18, 2013)

I agree negative inaccurate data is harmful but before we start applauding this new info, my question is whether there still might be some truth behind the sentiment. 

The current prison population is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to black male involvement with the criminal justice system. If you consider all of the young black men who have ever been in prison, jail, on probation or parole it's a huge percentage. And the numbers are worse in certain urban areas. 

I still think there is a big gender achievement gap in the black community.


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## FrazzledFraggle (Mar 18, 2013)

Question. I agree that the comments are inflammatory and most likely inaccurate but how are they harmful psychologically in regards to their affect on how many black males continue to go to college or prison? I'm not a psychology major so this is an honest question. I know that there is the general idea that if you continue to berate or belittle a child/young person that this can have an affect on their self-esteem which can affect their self-motivation and so you have kind of a snowball effect. Is that why we are saying these stats are harmful? I've always been the opposite. If I've ever been confronted with a negative statistic, I work that much harder to not become one. I realize everyone is affected differently.

Thoughts?


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## MrsJaiDiva (Mar 18, 2013)

> "*The reality is that African-American males are still disproportionately channeled into the criminal justice system and they are still not achieving, or able to have the same educational success as their peers of other races and other ethnicities," she says.
> 
> Black people account for 40% of the prison population in the US, but only 12% of the population overall.*
> 
> ...



This is still the truth.  And this is only damaging, if we continue to let it happen!  Where did all the Fight go in the Black Community??  The school to prison pipeline is still fact!  There is still a Big Problem here! The point isn't that more AA men are going to college than in 2000....the point is that a ridiculously high percentage of Black men are in Prison.  That is what needs to be fixed.  That.


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## Nelli04 (Mar 18, 2013)

I always feel like repeating the negative statistics is harmful, esp since the people who hear it the most are the ones already on the right track.

I hate when the CDC releases their 'black women/men are 1000x more likely to have xyz" or some outrageous statistic, and they do it every year.


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## dancinstallion (Jul 31, 2019)

Crackers Phinn said:


> Well if there are more black men in college than was previously reported, maybe now black women will get less flack about wanting an educated partner.




Apparently more black men didn't  finish college because 6 years later I don't think AA/BW have gained ground on getting an educated AA BM. From our threads about BW settling for broke BM and educated middle class BW settling as well, me thinks we have went backward or gained no ground. 

In other news I have attended 3 African weddings (from different countries) this year and another two are coming up in Aug and Sept. The wives and husbands are on same level or husband makes more,  so no settling (besides the men being ugly, but most men are ugly so still no settling ).

What gives?. I know what gives but I would like ya'll opinions.


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## Evolving78 (Jul 31, 2019)

dancinstallion said:


> Soooo this statistic must have be true because 6 years later I don't think BW/AA have gained ground on getting an educated AA/BM. From our threads about BW settling for broke BM and educated middle class BW settling as well, me thinks we have went backward or gained no ground.
> 
> In other news I have attended 3 African weddings (from different countries) this year and another two are coming up in Aug and Sept. The wives and husbands are on same level or husband makes more,  so no settling (besides the men being ugly, but most men are ugly so still no settling ).
> 
> What gives?. I know what gives but I would like ya'll opinions.


I would like to know too, because I believe there was a lot of denial going on 6 years ago. I also believe people are only speaking from their existence.


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## Everything Zen (Jul 31, 2019)

Just because they’re not in prison doesn’t mean they’re in college.


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## Crackers Phinn (Jul 31, 2019)

Evolving78 said:


> I would like to know too, because I believe there was a lot of denial going on 6 years ago. I also believe people are only speaking from their existence.



You hit on a valid point as the standard answer to these kinds of statistics used to be “not in my social circles”.  Followed by the harnessing of e-pity that so many black women lacked bastions of black male excellence in their lives.

My niece married a college educated bm and one of my brothers has an undergraduate degree.  So now, I too can dismiss the voodoo statistics of more black men being in jail than in college as hemoglobin and haberdashery antics meant to undermine and extinguish the collective esteem of the black community.

BTW - The first place I ever heard about more bm being in jail than in college was an Ice Cube lyric. Oshea said that as someone who attended somebody's community college so somebody better tell him he's been spreading lies about his peoples.


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## dancinstallion (Aug 1, 2019)

Crackers Phinn said:


> You hit on a valid point as the standard answer to these kinds of statistics *used to be *“not in my social circles”.  Followed by the harnessing of e-pity that so many black women lacked bastions of black male excellence in their lives.



Used to be? You play too much. 

Anyway At Houston community College I can count on two hands the amount of bm that graduate each year. 



Everything Zen said:


> Just because they’re not in prison doesn’t mean they’re in college.



You are right. Apparently more black men didn't finish college because you can look at the graduating classes and bm are scarce.


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## Everything Zen (Aug 1, 2019)

dancinstallion said:


> You are right. Apparently more black men didn't finish college because you can look at the graduating classes and bm are scarce.



That’s exactly what my dad said. It always shocks him when he goes to a graduation and he sees how few black boys actually graduate. The girls tend to be as expected but you can count the boys on less than one hand.


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## HappilyLiberal (Aug 2, 2019)

I think the accurate statistic is that there are more black men in jail OR ON PROBATION than in college.


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## Everything Zen (Aug 2, 2019)

Why they gotta be on probation tho? 

I know a lot of black men that simply never went to jail or college that are just underemployed and or not really doing a whole lot with their lives - the same stuff we talk about on here all the time (having kids out of wedlock, still living with their moms, etc.).


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## Evolving78 (Dec 22, 2020)

So it’s the 2020... have things changed?


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## Tulips4u (Dec 23, 2020)

Evolving78 said:


> So it’s the 2020... have things changed?


Nope.


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