article_snippet.sent: Millions of people are being left behind, and it's taking a toll on our economy:
article_snippet.sent: The reduced economic output of people with records cost our economy $57-$65 billion in 2008 alone.
article_snippet.sent: These policies disproportionately impact African-Americans, who are incarcerated at a rate six times that of whites.
article_snippet.sent: The Department of Justice's recent investigation of the Ferguson Police Department, for example, shows the extent to which racism is perpetuated through police departments and the court system.
article_snippet.sent: That systemic racial disparity is then repeated throughout our economy, and the community is put at a severe disadvantage in the job market long after individuals have served individuals time.
article_snippet.sent: That's one reason the African-American unemployment rate is persistently twice that of whites.