With a significant number of the labor pool in Baltimore having a criminal record, particularly people of color, this law is of particular importance to the growth and development of our community. According to the Maryland Division of Corrections, 72 percent of people who entered Maryland's prison system in 2010 were African-American yet they comprise only 29 percent of the overall population in the state. And according to "Baltimore Behind Bars," a report on the Baltimore jails, African-Americans comprise 89 percent of the people held in the Baltimore jail despite making up only 64 percent of the Baltimore population. The residual effects of racial disparities in the Maryland criminal justice system are often felt in employment opportunities, particularly in Baltimore.