One in 10 young male high school dropouts are in jail or detention on an average day, according to a new report from the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University. For young black men, it’s worse: one in four are in custody.
The study, a follow-up to the center’s May report on the costs of dropping out of high school, examines the rates of employment, incarceration, and parenthood patterns of those who drop out of high school, as compared with those who complete high school or higher education.
The researchers found that higher educational attainment levels correlated with lower rates of incarceration, single motherhood, and joblessness.
It also examines the financial impact of dropouts on the nation, finding that while the average high school graduate contributes $287,000 to society during his working lifetime, and an adult with a bachelors degree contributes $793,000, a high school dropouts fiscal impact is negative: He costs society $5,200.
