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Marked: Race, Crime, and Finding Work in an Era of Mass Incarceration
Nearly every job application asks it: have you ever been convicted of a crime? For the hundreds of thousands of young men leaving American prisons each year, their answer to that question may determine whether they can find work and begin rebuilding their lives.
The product of an innovative field experiment, Marked gives us our first real glimpse into the tremendous difficulties facing ex-offenders in the job market. Devah Pager matched up pairs of young men, randomly assigned them criminal records, then sent them on hundreds of real job searches throughout the city of Milwaukee. Her applicants were attractive, articulate, and capable—yet ex-offenders received less than half the callbacks of the equally qualified applicants without criminal backgrounds. Young black men, meanwhile, paid a particularly high price: those with clean records fared no better in their job searches than white men just out of prison. Such shocking barriers to legitimate work, Pager contends, are an important reason that many ex-prisoners soon find themselves back in the realm of poverty, underground employment, and crime that led them to prison in the first place.
“Using scholarly research, field research in Milwaukee, and graphics, [Pager] shows that ex-offenders, white or black, stand a very poor chance of getting a legitimate job. . . . Both informative and convincing.”—Library Journal
“Marked is that rare book: a penetrating text that rings with moral concern couched in vivid prose—and one of the most useful sociological studies in years.”—Michael Eric Dyson
The product of an innovative field experiment, Marked gives us our first real glimpse into the tremendous difficulties facing ex-offenders in the job market. Devah Pager matched up pairs of young men, randomly assigned them criminal records, then sent them on hundreds of real job searches throughout the city of Milwaukee. Her applicants were attractive, articulate, and capable—yet ex-offenders received less than half the callbacks of the equally qualified applicants without criminal backgrounds. Young black men, meanwhile, paid a particularly high price: those with clean records fared no better in their job searches than white men just out of prison. Such shocking barriers to legitimate work, Pager contends, are an important reason that many ex-prisoners soon find themselves back in the realm of poverty, underground employment, and crime that led them to prison in the first place.
“Using scholarly research, field research in Milwaukee, and graphics, [Pager] shows that ex-offenders, white or black, stand a very poor chance of getting a legitimate job. . . . Both informative and convincing.”—Library Journal
“Marked is that rare book: a penetrating text that rings with moral concern couched in vivid prose—and one of the most useful sociological studies in years.”—Michael Eric Dyson
256 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2007
19 people are currently reading
1097 people want to read
About the author
Devah Pager
6 books9 followersDevah Pager’s research focuses on institutions affecting racial stratification, including education, labor markets, and the criminal justice system. Her recent research has involved a series of field experiments studying discrimination against minorities and ex-offenders in the low-wage labor market. Her book, Marked: Race, Crime, and Finding Work in an Era of Mass Incarceration (University of Chicago, 2007), investigates the racial and economic consequences of large scale imprisonment for contemporary U.S. labor markets. Pager holds Masters Degrees from Stanford University and the University of Cape Town, and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 25, 2011
Marked: Race, Crime, and Finding Work in an Era of Mass Incarceration can likely be summed up in one sentence in the conclusory chapter.
For blacks, everyday life achievements take longer, require more effort, and impose greater financial and psychic costs.
What makes this book work is that the author, a white woman teaching at Princeton, gets it. I wish it were the same for many others of my generation. I was in a hotel in San Francisco during February. I was thrilled with the wal to wall coverage on African Americans, until DH pointed out that it was Black History Month. My dreams of having cable that addressed real issues, dried up on the vine. But one positive is viewing an interview segment with Pager, a woman who gets 'it.'
The only other author who appears to understand the true cost of race is Thomas Shapiro. In Pagers book, she discusses a study of the effect of incarceration on entry level employment, using four testers, white men with and without criminal records and black men with an without criminal records. Not surprisingly, the black men without felony drug convictions have a lower callback rate than white men with such convictions. The other, far more startling revelation in this book, and one that has make me reconsider the rise of the black middle class started with this quote:
While the free-market capitalism of America is often touted as the source of its low unemployment rates compared to those of Western Europe, this research suggests that the differential is largely a function of penal intervention.
It was a moment where I really had to sit back and think about the 'statistics' touted by our media and government. I'd already expressed skepticism because our DOL unemployment statistics don't include those who've dropped out of the job market, or are underemployed. But this emphasizes, for me, the vast unemployment in this country. All that to say, this is a book one should read to add the effect of our country's 'war on crime,' to our issues, especially those concerning race, before performing any baseline sociological analysis.
For blacks, everyday life achievements take longer, require more effort, and impose greater financial and psychic costs.
What makes this book work is that the author, a white woman teaching at Princeton, gets it. I wish it were the same for many others of my generation. I was in a hotel in San Francisco during February. I was thrilled with the wal to wall coverage on African Americans, until DH pointed out that it was Black History Month. My dreams of having cable that addressed real issues, dried up on the vine. But one positive is viewing an interview segment with Pager, a woman who gets 'it.'
The only other author who appears to understand the true cost of race is Thomas Shapiro. In Pagers book, she discusses a study of the effect of incarceration on entry level employment, using four testers, white men with and without criminal records and black men with an without criminal records. Not surprisingly, the black men without felony drug convictions have a lower callback rate than white men with such convictions. The other, far more startling revelation in this book, and one that has make me reconsider the rise of the black middle class started with this quote:
While the free-market capitalism of America is often touted as the source of its low unemployment rates compared to those of Western Europe, this research suggests that the differential is largely a function of penal intervention.
It was a moment where I really had to sit back and think about the 'statistics' touted by our media and government. I'd already expressed skepticism because our DOL unemployment statistics don't include those who've dropped out of the job market, or are underemployed. But this emphasizes, for me, the vast unemployment in this country. All that to say, this is a book one should read to add the effect of our country's 'war on crime,' to our issues, especially those concerning race, before performing any baseline sociological analysis.
February 17, 2016
This was a somewhat dry read crammed with important sociological information.
Honestly I only picked this book up because my sociology professor recommended it and I wanted to keep my sociology brain intact over the summer.
That being said it wasn't a bad book. It was really interesting to learn all the statistics given in this book and it makes me feel better to be informed on issues that are going on currently.
Honestly I only picked this book up because my sociology professor recommended it and I wanted to keep my sociology brain intact over the summer.
That being said it wasn't a bad book. It was really interesting to learn all the statistics given in this book and it makes me feel better to be informed on issues that are going on currently.
May 4, 2008
Marked is basically an extension/elaboration on Pager's famous experimental audit study a few years ago. While not illuminating anything entirely different from her initial findings (to summate briefly: white offenders have an easier time getting an interview than African Americans without a record), this slim, quick read is a worthwhile addition to her thoroughly readable work.
May 10, 2016
Was primarily a lot of statistics surrounding the sociology of mass incarceration. Somewhat interesting, but a little too much detail of statistics throughout which caused me to lose interest.
March 18, 2016
This is an excellent book. It covers one experiment ran several ways and shows racial disparity and felon disparity really clearly. Also, the prose is enjoyable to read. A great academic read.
June 25, 2022
More a collection of articles masquerading as a book (as indicated by the curious inclusion of appendices after some chapters), Pager makes some interesting arguments that greatly expand on her previous work while disappointingly doing nothing to flesh out the context in which she was directing this experiment. Moreover, some of her claims come off as haphazard or just tossed in to provide some sort of explanation for certain phenomena. For example, media representation is used to explain employers' perceptions of Black applicants' criminality with no indication of triangulating that to the employers they survey. That's a hard sell with what's offered.
This book could have taken some more time to develop and provide a more compelling account of how white and black men in close proximity to the criminal justice system navigate the labor market. It may have also allowed more attention to the question of gender which also largely goes ignored YET is extrapolated to try and cover all formerly-incarcerated peoples' experiences.
This book could have taken some more time to develop and provide a more compelling account of how white and black men in close proximity to the criminal justice system navigate the labor market. It may have also allowed more attention to the question of gender which also largely goes ignored YET is extrapolated to try and cover all formerly-incarcerated peoples' experiences.
October 13, 2019
A modern classic study
Pager's study on the stigma of a criminal record is seminal and deserves a place beside Sherif's Robbers Cave study and Milgram's obedience to authority experiment.
On a personal note, I must have cited Pager's paper in a dozen or two essays as an undergrad, shoehorning references even in art history assignments. This book is a grand and thorough expansion of the published paper, and while the Kindle version could do with formatting updates to its citations and table of contents, I know I will use it as an invaluable reference in future research.
Pager's study on the stigma of a criminal record is seminal and deserves a place beside Sherif's Robbers Cave study and Milgram's obedience to authority experiment.
On a personal note, I must have cited Pager's paper in a dozen or two essays as an undergrad, shoehorning references even in art history assignments. This book is a grand and thorough expansion of the published paper, and while the Kindle version could do with formatting updates to its citations and table of contents, I know I will use it as an invaluable reference in future research.
September 28, 2025
Excellent writer
I gave up on this book at chapter seven. Although Devah Pager's own study was interesting, it was rather small. As well, I found it odd that study volunteers were going to jobs and turning in paper applications and these jobs were found in newspapers. It just did not make sense to me that this book came out in 2024. Or was it re-released? I bought it because I thought it would be current study regarding trends based around the book title. In addition, more than a few of previous studies mentioned were over twenty years old.
I gave up on this book at chapter seven. Although Devah Pager's own study was interesting, it was rather small. As well, I found it odd that study volunteers were going to jobs and turning in paper applications and these jobs were found in newspapers. It just did not make sense to me that this book came out in 2024. Or was it re-released? I bought it because I thought it would be current study regarding trends based around the book title. In addition, more than a few of previous studies mentioned were over twenty years old.
May 31, 2023
Read for college sociology
February 8, 2016
The book-length publication stemming from Pager's sociology dissertation, Marked sheds light on the employment implications of incarceration, narrowing in on black inmates who have `two strikes' against them, making the transition to post-imprisonment exceptionally difficult. She enlists college students to act as job applicants in the Milwaukee labor market and utilizes an audit study approach to test the effect of race, ex-offender status, and their interaction on call-back rates. The takeaway finding is startling: white applicants who had 'served' time in prison had higher call-back rates than their black, non-offender counterparts. With relatively fewer job opportunities available to black convicts upon release, it wouldn't come as a surprise to learn that recidivism rates are higher, signifying a key failure in helping offenders transition to post-incarceration life. Highly recommended for learning more about what we do and don't know about the employment situation of ex-criminals and ripe with potential research questions for researchers in a range of fields touching on race, poverty, crime, and cities.
January 15, 2014
An interesting case study on what it means to be "marked" in America
May 26, 2015
A scholarly work. Not always in a good way.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews