What about Mass Incarceration?

Much of the racial wealth gap is caused by a gap in the way people of color are treated in America.  One of the ways in which people of color are mistreated the most is in the criminal justice system.  A Black man is far more likely to be incarcerated in his lifetime than a White or Latino man.  In fact, 1/3 Black boys born today can expect to be sentenced to prison compared to 1/6 Latinos and 1/17 Whites.   (source: NAACP.org)

In the chart above, the sharp increase of incarcerated Black men was extremely impactful on income levels for Black families and is largely responsible for the increase in the racial wealth gap.