Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell cites findings from a UIC Great Cities Institute report on youth unemployment in the Chicago area in her column examining factors leading to some of the city’s street crimes. Following a recent string of robberies near DePaul University, Mitchell discusses the link between high unemployment rates and street crime.
A recent groundbreaking study by University of Illinois at Chicago’s Great Cities Institute found that over 40 percent of black men in Chicago between 20 and 24 years old are unemployed and out of school.
So how are the 40 percent of unemployed black men making it, especially those who don’t have families that can support them financially? A lot of the young men who are on the street engaging in criminal behavior don’t see that they have any options.
GCI data and Mitchell’s journalism show the challenging circumstances of many of Chicago’s unemployed young people, and lend insight to the discussion of crime in Chicago.
Read the full column here and the original GCI study, The High Costs for Out of School and Jobless Youth in Chicago and Cook County, here.
