'CRISIS' OF BLACK MALES GETS HIGH-PROFILE LOOK

Rights Panel Probes Crime, Joblessness, Other Ills

The problems confronting young black males are staggering: They are far more
likely than whites to be sent to prison, to fall victim to homicide, to
suffer serious illness, to fail at school and to be unemployed.

Nationally, one in three young black men is under the supervision of the
criminal justice system, and the rates approach 50 percent in some states.
In all, 12 states and the District of Columbia imprison blacks at rates 10
times those of whites, according to the latest government figures.

Overall, black males have a life expectancy of 66.1 years, compared with
73.9 for white men. About 74 percent of black men graduate from high school,
compared with 86 percent of whites. In some areas, unemployment among black
men is three times that of whites.

The composite picture has become so alarming that the U.S. Commission on
Civil Rights made it the subject of an unusual two-day conference here this
week. "This is a very real and serious and difficult issue," said Mary
Frances Berry, head of the commission. "This crisis has broad implications
for the future of the race."

But unlike many topics explored by the commission, which usually probes
issues that are seen as direct results of racial bias, there is no consensus
on the main cause of the crisis afflicting black males. Is it social
pathology? Racial discrimination? Or both?

Experts told the commission that much of the problem is related to the
breakdown of families, the prevalence of drugs and the lack of economic
opportunity in many poor, black communities. For years, civil rights groups
have urged the government to redouble its efforts to help troubled families
by increasing spending for Head Start,
education and job training programs and by providing additional counseling
and crisis intervention. Beyond that, however, the experts said there is a
need to fill the voids in the lives of many young black men.

"One-on-one interaction. Small group instruction, small group counseling.
Those are the things that make the difference," said Bill Highsmith, an aide
to D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams, who volunteers as a youth mentor.

Witnesses also told the commission that black youth suffer because they are
targeted as potential criminals by police, frequently receive poor legal
representation if they are arrested and typically receive more and longer
prison sentences than whites. In a speech Thursday, Attorney General Janet
Reno condemned the use of racial profiling--which assumes that black males
are apt to commit crimes--as a law enforcement tool.

Surveys have found that African Americans constitute 15 percent of the
nation's drug users but make up a third of those arrested on drug charges
and 57 percent of those convicted on drug charges. Once convicted on drug
charges, studies have found, blacks receive on average one year more in
prison than whites, which some see as
evidence of discrimination. But others argue that black men are sent to
prison at higher rates and for longer periods of time only because they are
more likely than others to be involved in serious crime.

Whatever the reason, the high rates of incarceration have consequences that
extend deep into black communities. Not only are neighborhoods stripped of
many men who might otherwise be part of the social fabric--doing things like
coaching recreation league teams and providing stability for their
families--but the loss of population
also reduces the many forms of government aid linked to the number of people
who live in a specific community. Ironically, convicted blacks are
frequently shifted to rural white areas, where many prisons and inmates are
counted as part of the population.

"What happens really amounts to a transfer of wealth from one community to
another," said Tracy Huling, a consultant who presented a paper to the
commission.

In education, black males are typically the lowest achievers and the most
likely to be suspended or expelled from school. Some experts blame that on
the absence of black male role models, teaching styles that don't make
allowances for the high energy levels of black boys, and low teacher
expectations.

But there are also studies that say teacher expectations grow from firsthand
experience. Also, experts have found that some black boys mistakenly believe
that to do well in school is somehow a betrayal of their race.

When it comes to health issues, black men are more likely than others to die
violently or as the result of chronic illnesses including AIDS, diabetes,
hypertension, heart disease, cancer and stroke. Berry said that beyond early
childhood, many black men have little contact with doctors outside of
emergency situations.

In all, 14 expert consultants and 11 government, religious and other leaders
were to address the commission's conference. The commission has no
legislative or judicial power, but Berry said it will use the information
gathered at the conference to advocate policy changes to address the problems.