Prison Demographics

African American men are almost two times more likely to be incarcerated during their lifetime than obtain a Bachelor's degree. Chance of earning a Bachelor's degree: 12.5 percent, chance of incarceration: 22.4 percent. [1]
In 2000, more African American men were incarcerated (791,000) than were enrolled in college programs (603,000). [2]
Black and Hispanic inmates together make up 62 percent of the prison population.
51 percent of inmates were under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of their current offense.
16 percent of state prison inmates, 7 percent of federal inmates, and 16 percent of those in local jails reported either a mental condition or an overnight stay in a mental hospital.
9 percent of inmates were homeless in the 12 months prior to their arrest. [3]
In 1999, it was estimated that 721,500 U.S. inmates were parents of minor children.
Twenty-two percent of all minor children with a parent in prison were under 5 years old.
70 percent of incarcerated parents did not have a high school diploma. [4]
In 2002 there were an estimated 624,900 State prisoners serving time for a violent offense,
253,000 for property offenses, and 265,000 for drug offenses. [5]

Sources

[1] Mass Imprisonment and the Life Course: Race and Class Inequality in U.S. Incarceration Becky Pettit and Bruce Western, American Sociological Review, vol. 69 (April:151–169) (2004)

[2] Education & Incarceration Bruce Western, Vincent Schiraldi and Jason Ziedenberg, Justice Policy Institute (2003)

[3] Correctional Facts and Figures American Correctional Association (2002)

[4] Incarcerated Parents and Their Children Christopher J. Mumola, Bureau of Justice Statistics, NCJ 182335 ( August 2000)

[5] Correctional Populations in the United States, 1997 Bureau of Justice Statistics, NCJ 177613 (November 2000)