Numerous studies have reported racial disparities between equally qualified blacks and whites in access to credit, insurance, and employment. To investigate the effects of a criminal record and race on job search outcomes, Devah Pager sent pairs of well matched Black and White men to apply for advertised entry level jobs in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The paired applicants were well groomed, well spoken, college educated men with identical resumes. The only difference was that one man in each pair said that he had served a prison sentence for cocaine possession. As expected, emloyers called the applicants back for interviews at different rates, and White were favored. The callback rates were Blacks with criminal record (5%), Blacks with no record (14%), Whites with a record (17%) and Whites without a record (34%). Whithin group differences indicated that the ratio of callbacks for nonoffenders relatiev to ex offenders was 2 to 1 for whites and 3 to 1 for blacks. Thus, the negative effect of having a criminal record on employment opportunities is 40% larger for blacks than for whites. Since there is evidence that, when compared with whites, blacks are more likely to be arrested, and convicted if arrested, thses disparities have even more negative implications. Reports of the testers' interactions with the managers provide interesting insights. In one case, the hiring manager told the white tester with a record that he liked hiring people who had just been released from prison, as they tented to be harder workers and motivated to avoid returning to prison. In three cases, Black testers were asked even before submitting their applications whether they had a criminal history, but no whites were asked uo front wheter they had criminal history.
1. The testers in these studies were well educated, well spoken applicants. What would you expect the results to be for applicants with less education and ability to communicate?
2. Disparities in powder versus crack cocaine sentencing receive a great deal of attention. What are some potential consequences of those disparities, given the results of this study?