Giving Compass' Take:

• The Prison Policy Initiative takes a look at a Brookings report that shows how the criminal justice system disproportionally targets economically disadvantaged people, while pointing out that those who are released from prison face long odds at finding employment.

• The big question this piece asks: Why talk about a "second chance" post-incarceration when people aren't given a first chance? Lifting people out of poverty should be of utmost importance.

• As another article illustrates, we shouldn't fall into the recidivism trap when talking about criminal justice reform.

A striking report from the Brookings Institution, based on new IRS data covering almost 3 million people, shows how our criminal justice system targets people who were already socioeconomically disadvantaged prior to incarceration.

According to the authors, boys born into families at the bottom 10% of the income distribution are 20 times more likely to experience prison in their 30’s than their peers born into the top 10%. Although women make up a smaller share of the overall incarcerated population, the relative likelihood that they experience incarceration is similarly structured by early childhood family income.

Read more about the criminal justice system by Lucius Couloute at Prison Policy Initiative