U.S. Police State: Nearly 50 percent of American black men report being arrested by age 23

A new analysis of survey data finds that nearly half of black men report an arrest by the time they turn 23, according to a study released Monday in the journal Crime & Delinquency.

The study (subscription required) drew its data from the federal government's National Longitudinal Survey of Youth conducted between 1997 and 2008. The researchers found that by age 18, 30% of black males report having been arrested, compared with 26% of Hispanic males and 22% of white males.

By age 23, 49% of black males, 44% of Hispanic males and 38% of white males report having been arrested.