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Abstract
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VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The purpose of this paper by Duster was to set forth an argument about the disproportionately high unemployment rate among black youth and the consequences of this unemployment in terms of high rates of criminal activity.
METHODOLOGY:
The author employed a non-experimental review of literature in his paper. His argument is based on an assumption that "the criminality among those who are not in school or employed is very sensitive to economic incentives" (p. 303). In light of this, his discussion is largely focused on the ways in which the employment opportunities for black and white youth differ.
FINDINGS/DISUCSSION:
The author began his argument by pointing out that while unemployment rates for black and white youth were similar in 1954, the unemployment rate for white youth has now decreased while the unemployment rate for black youth has soared, such that nearly half of all inner-city black youth are unemployed. The author found that changes in the economy have profoundly affected black youth and their opportunities for employment. It was found that the loss of jobs in the manufacturing sector (traditionally an area offering employment opportunities to young people lacking in skills, credentials, and qualifications for white-collar jobs) has resulted in more unemployment for black youth. Growth in the service sector has changed the qualifications for entry-level workers, and the increasing opportunities in this area are largely filled by whites who have the skills and credentials necessary to fill these jobs. It was also found that plant closings and relocations from urban to rural areas significantly affect urban-dwelling black youth who were dependent on those jobs. The flight of whites to the suburbs has also affected black employment opportunities as many jobs in manufacturing, retail and wholesale followed the crowds to the suburbs. Finally, the author noted that major cities are experiencing growth in service-sector occupations, which are heavily concentrated with white-collar jobs where there is little opportunity for young people to compete with more qualified applicants. The author concluded that there exists a division in the American labor force between the prospective employees who offer skills and qualifications accumulated through higher education and teenagers who have at most graduated from high school and who have little in the way of experience and qualifications to offer. The author argued that black youth overwhelmingly fall into the latter group which profoundly affects their employment opportunities.
AUTHOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS:
The author argued that short-term job training programs will no longer suffice as solutions to the problem of black unemployment. He recommended a combination of skills, on-the-job experience and qualifications which will afford opportunities for black youth to enter viable careers. The author proposed that long-term job-training programs with clear linkages to careers should be implemented. To be successful, it was argued that these programs must extend to the most disadvantaged youth and must work in conjunction with educational institutions.
(CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
Juvenile Offender
Juvenile Crime
Crime Causes
Urban Crime
Socioeconomic Factors
Sociocultural Factors
African American Offender
African American Crime
African American Juvenile
Employment Factors
Unemployment-Crime Link
Unemployment Effects
Unemployment Factors
03-05
Language: en |