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Juvenile Justice - Minorities

  • The Racial and Ethnic Disparities Reduction Practice Manual (2016)

    This Practice Manual [the RED Practice Manual] is an effort to provide practical, concrete strategies for jurisdictions to use to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in their juvenile justice systems. The Practice Manual covers the key decision points in the juvenile justice system, from arrest to re-entry into the community after state commitment. For each decision point, the Practice Manual provides an overview of the key issues, discusses the data that should be collected and analyzed in order to understand the issues more clearly, and recommends strategies, interventions, programs, and practices that have proven effective in addressing the issues (p...

  • Identifying Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Systems through Data Collection [Webinar] (2016)

    This [90 minute] webinar discusses how data can be used to help identify racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile and criminal justice systems, determine the best course of action to address disparities, and track progress toward reduction goals. Webinar participants learn about national trends, as well as how data can be collected and analyzed. They will also hear about one jurisdiction’s experience [Pierce County Juvenile Court] using data to enhance policies and practices that reduced disparities (website).

  • Unbalanced Youth Justice (2018)

    To help you better understand racial and ethnic disparities and how juvenile justice is being administered in your county, state, and nationwide, BI's interactive tools provide customizable searches. There are five interactive combination maps/trend charts/count charts.

  • Model Indian Juvenile Code, 2016 Revision (2016)

    Too many tribal juvenile codes are nearly indistinguishable from adult criminal codes. Many of these codes rely heavily on fines and detention, and lack provisions for diverting children out of the juvenile justice system and into rehabilitative services … In place of punitive sanctions such as fines and detention, the Model Code encourages rehabilitative and restorative measures including the provision of services for children and families, favors informal and community-based responses rather than formal proceedings in juvenile court, and includes opportunities for diversion at every stage of such proceedings (p. v).

  • Repairing the Breach: A Brief History of Youth of Color in the Justice System (2015)

    This publication covers: the period of first contact and youth of color; the clash over family structure with Northern tribes; Black child during the early settlement period; the industrial Age and youth of color; detention centers for youth are created, excluding Blacks; parens patriae arrives; John Augustus and alternatives to incarceration; the antebellum South and Black children; tribal families and boarding schools; the juvenile court era and youth of color; Latinos and youth justice; school discipline, youth justice, and youth of color; and equity as the preferred strategy.

  • Reducing Harms to Boys and Young Men of Color from Criminal Justice System Involvement (2015)

    Boys and young men of color are overrepresented in all aspects of the juvenile justice and criminal justice systems, at considerable cost to those involved, their families, and their communities. This overrepresentation is most acute for African Americans, although other communities of color are also affected. This paper reviews systemic, institutional, and community policies and practices that greatly impact the life chances of boys and young men of color (website).

  • Youth Residing in Juvenile Detention, Correctional and/or Residential Facilities by Race and Hispanic Origin (2017)

    Although the United States still leads the industrialized world in the rate at which it locks up young people, the youth confinement rate in the US is rapidly declining. This table shows rates of confined youth by ethnicity per state.

  • Youth Residing in Juvenile Detention, Correctional and/or Residential Facilities (2017)

    Although the United States still leads the industrialized world in the rate at which it locks up young people, the youth confinement rate in the US is rapidly declining. This table shows rates of confined youth per state.

  • New Mexico Juvenile Justice Tribal Notification Policy Research Project: Final Report (2015)

    The tribal notification provision for Native youth entering the state juvenile justice system, unique to the State of New Mexico, has been identified as a method to address the disproportionate number and disparate treatment of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN or Native) youth in the juvenile justice system. Where the Indian Child Welfare Act is followed, which includes the notification of tribes in child welfare cases, experts have found that practice and outcomes for Native children improve. While tribal notification represents a potential solution to the problem, it has not been known to what extent this approach is working...

  • Untangling the Web: Juvenile Justice in Indian Country (2016)

    This Article provides a thorough description and diagnosis of the reasons that the Indian country juvenile justice system continues to fail Native youth, one that has been missing from the legal and policy literature. It provides a careful analysis of the law governing juvenile delinquency jurisdiction in Indian country. While it echoes others’ observations that the confusing jurisdictional web is part of the reason Native youth remain neglected and invisible in federal and state systems, and ill-served by tribal systems, this Article’s detailed analysis of the law reveals much greater potential for tribal control under current laws than others assume...

  • Involvement in the Juvenile Justice System for African American Adolescents: Examining Associations with Behavioral Health Problems (2017)

    While researchers have found that African American youth experience higher levels of juvenile justice involvement at every system level (arrest, sentencing, and incarceration) relative to their other ethnic counterparts, few studies have explored how juvenile justice involvement and number of contacts might be correlated with this broad range of problems … adolescents who reported juvenile justice system involvement versus no involvement were 2.3 times as likely to report mental health problems, substance abuse, and delinquent or youth offending behaviors. Additional findings documented that the higher the number of juvenile justice system contacts, the higher the rates of delinquent behaviors, alcohol...

  • The Discontinuity of Offending Among African American Youth in the Juvenile Justice System (2017)

    Little is known about what factors contribute to African American youth desisting from offending … Researchers investigated whether youth possessed protective factors and whether developmental change took place after contact with the juvenile justice system. It was hypothesized that having protective factors would decrease the likelihood of recidivism and the impact of each factor would differ by gender. Findings indicate African American youth have protective factors across a range of domains. However, little developmental change occurs after contact with the juvenile justice system. Impulse control, parental supervision, and pro-social peers were important for reducing recidivism. Problem solving was more influential...

  • Racial Disparities in Juvenile Justice Referrals to Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (2016)

    This article examines the confluence of mental health needs and racial disparities within the juvenile justice system.

  • Racial-Ethnic Fairness (2018)

    Step into juvenile delinquency courts throughout the country, and you will usually find the number of children of color who appear there are far out of proportion to their numbers in the surrounding community. For decades, they have been over-represented (and treated more harshly for the same behavior as their non-Hispanic white counterparts) at every stage of the delinquency process - from arrest, to secure detention, confinement, and transfer to the adult system. The causes are varied and have often proved resistant to change. However, in recent years, better data collection and analysis in many localities has helped spur the...

  • Noncitizen Youth in the Juvenile Justice System: 2018 Update: A Guide to Juvenile Detention Reform

    In today’s climate of increased immigration enforcement, U.S. juvenile justice officials must learn how local immigration policies - or a lack thereof - can seriously and negatively impact the lives of noncitizen youth. This guide, which highlights recent policy changes affecting youth in the juvenile justice system, is a great place to start.

  • Special Topics: Hispanic Youth in the Juvenile Justice System

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) provide the latest answers to commonly asked questions about Hispanic youth in the juvenile justice system. Answers are organized into the following areas: Hispanic youth population; arrests involving Hispanic youth; and delinquency cases involving Hispanic youth.