This is by far the best website for investigating who are the youth that are incarcerated in the United States and what their offenses are. The statistics are especially useful for illustrating the disparity in juvenile ethnic/racial groups. “The Burns Institute is in pursuit of an equitable and excellent juvenile justice system. A system used sparingly and appropriately. We know that our current juvenile justice system is not equitable, excellent, or used sparingly and appropriately. More than 61,000 youth were incarcerated on any given night in 2011, most (75 percent) for non-violent offenses. The majority (65 percent) were youth of color. Nationwide, youth of color are significantly more likely to be incarcerated than White youth. In 2011: Black youth were 4.6 times as likely; Native American youth were 3.2 times as likely; and Latino youth were 1.8 times as likely. The U.S. stands out in its use of youth incarceration. We incarcerate youth at higher rates than anywhere in the world: five times the rate of South Africa; 15 times the rate of Germany and 30 times the rate of Italy. With more than 75 percent of youth locked up for non-violent offenses, the U.S does not have an alarming crime problem; we have an alarming incarceration problem. And it’s a problem primarily for youth of color. To solve the problem, we need to better understand it. 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 customizable charts: detention rates; disparity gap incarceration gap-youth of color vs White; disparity gap incarceration gap-Black vs White; disparity gap incarceration gap-Latino vs White; and incarcerated nonviolent offenses.
