UNC Study: Black Men Survive Longer in Prison Than Out on Streets

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill study finds black men in prison survive longer than black men who aren't behind bars.

A North Carolina study of inmates says black men are half as likely to die at any given time if they're in prison than if they aren't. In other words, they are better off in prison than out on the streets. Here's an excerpt from Reuters:

The black prisoners seemed to be especially protected against alcohol- and drug-related deaths, as well as lethal accidents and certain chronic diseases.

But that pattern didn't hold for white men, who on the whole were slightly more likely to die in prison than outside, according to findings published in Annals of Epidemiology.

Researchers say it's not the first time a study has found lower death rates among certain groups of inmates -- particularly disadvantaged people, who might get protection against violent injuries and murder. STUDY SOURCE: bit.ly/o7a7st Annals of Epidemiology, online July 7, 2011.

You know, it's a crying shame that black men are being deemed safer behind bars than out on the streets. The reality is that the unemployment rates among black males is pause for concern. That influences how these men eat, their moods, whether they feel as sense of desperation at their circumstance that leads to depression and to drinking. Until we address the root cause for these ills, we will always have these disturbing study results.