Plight Deepens for Black Men, studies warn. By Erik Ecknolm

The share of young black men without jobs has climbed relentlessly, with only a slight pause during the economic peak of the late 1990's. In 2000, 65 percent of black male high school dropouts in their 20s were jobless that is, unable to find work, not seeking it or incarcerated. By 2004 the share has grown to 72 percent, compared with 34 percent of white and 19 percent of hispanic dropouts. Even when High School graduates were included, half of black men in their 20s were jobless in2004, up from 46 percent in 2000.

Incarceration rates climbed in the 1990s and reached historic highs in the past few years. In 1995, 16 percent of black men in their 20s who did not attend college were in jail or prison; By 2004, 21 percent were incarcerated, by their mid 30s, 6 in 10 black men who dropped out of school had spent time in prison. In the inner cities, more than half of all black men do not finish High School. According to census data, there are about 5 million black men ages 20 to 39 in the united states.

Terrible schools, absent parents, racism, the decline in blue collar jobs and a subculture that glorifies swagger over work have all been citied as causes of the deepening ruin of black youths. Scholars and the young men themselves agree that all of these issues must be addressed.