Found 161 matches.
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A Roadmap for Advancing Youth Diversion in Los Angeles County
Tags: California | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Prevention
Youth diversion is broadly defined as an intervention that redirects system responses in order to prevent a young person’s involvement or further involvement in the justice system. Although there is wide variation in diversion programming nationwide, evidence suggests that diverting young people from the juvenile justice system as early as possible is a promising practice. When implemented well, youth diversion programs can improve outcomes for youth otherwise at risk for long‐term involvement in the justice system and the associated damage to their health and wellbeing. Effective youth diversion can also improve public safety and reduce system costs. It is in this context that the Youth Diversion Subcommittee (YDS) and the CEO developed this report as a roadmap for future diversion efforts.
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Advancing Racial Equity in Youth Diversion: An Evaluation Framework Informed by Los Angeles County
Tags: California | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Prevention | Teleconference | Partner Publications
In 2017, Los Angeles County established an Office of Youth Diversion and Development to advance a collaboratively designed pre-booking diversion initiative that prevents youth from getting formally arrested or referred to probation during encounters with law enforcement. Human Impact Partners and the Los Angeles (LA) County Office of Youth Diversion and Development (YDD) partnered to develop this evaluation framework to assess and prevent racial inequities in this program. LA County’s pre-booking diversion program is part of a broader effort to reduce mass incarceration of Black and Brown youth i . In LA County and across the US, Black and Brown youth are arrested and detained by law enforcement at disproportionately greater rates compared to White youth. Organizing by local youth advocates and policy changes at the local, state, and national level have created opportunities for community-based pre-booking diversion in LA County to reduce the excessive and unfair criminalization and incarceration of Black and Brown youth and equitably improve outcomes for youth. Human Impact Partners developed this document by reviewing research and reports that describe and evaluate youth diversion programs and their outcomes, and by speaking with experts, youth, and youth caretakers in LA County. The promising practices lifted up in this report are drawn from traditional public health research evidence, and from the wisdom and experiences of stakeholders in LA County.
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Pre-Booking Youth Diversion Evaluation Metrics
Tags: California | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Prevention | Reports | Research | Partner Publications
Human Impact Partners (HIP) developed this resource to highlight metrics, indicators, and potential data sources detailed in the Advancing Racial Equity in Youth Diversion: An Evaluation Framework Informed by Los Angeles County. The HIP team partnered with the Los Angeles County Office of Youth Diversion and Development (YDD) to produce this evaluation framework.
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NJPC Souls of Young Folk Report
Tags: New Jersey | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Youth in the Adult System | Reports | Member Publications
Every year, over 75,000 children and youth are tried as adults across the country.1 Between 32,000 and 60,000 of those youth are held in adult jails.2 The number of laws providing for the prosecution, incarceration, and sentencing of youth as adults grew substantially in the 1980s and 1990s, including in New Jersey. This brief explores the causes of racial disparities and disproportionality in New Jersey's waiver of black youth to the adult criminal justice system. To analyze potential causes, we reviewed data from the New Jersey Department of Corrections, the Office of the Attorney General, and the New Jersey State Police along with qualitative surveys from incarcerated youth and their families. In addition to data, we gathered historical research on the treatment of black adults and youth in New Jersey and the development of New Jersey's waiver laws over the past thirty-seven years. Our conclusion is that there are a constellation of factors including historical, structural, and implicit bias that contribute to the disproportionate waiver of black youth to the adult system. As a result, the New Jersey Parents' Caucus recommends ending the practice of waiver of youth to the adult system to address the historical, structural, and implicit bias embedded in the waiver process. We recognize that ending youth waiver is a long-term effort; therefore, to start addressing bias immediately, we recommend holding prosecutors accountable for the discretion they wield in transferring youth to the adult criminal justice system. Specifically, there is a need for more detailed data collection, transparency, and oversight to address the ongoing effects of historical, structural, and implicit bias negatively impacting black youth.
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Concerns Over Recent Actions by the Department of Justice and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Tags: Federal | Deinstitutionalization | Detention | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Youth in the Adult System | Advocacy | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Reports | Partner Publications
This backgrounder published by the Campaign for Youth Justice outlines how recent actions taken by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) toward loosening compliance with the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Acts (JJDPA) core requirements will be extremely detrimental to young people in contact with the justice system, especially youth of color.
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Understanding Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression (SOGIE) Data for Stanislaus County, CA
Tags: California | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Girls | LGBTQ Youth | Advocacy | Reports | Research | Partner Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
This study by Dr. Angela Irvine at Ceres Policy Research examines the need to continue to reduce racial/ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system, while also considering the way that race intersects with sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression (SOGIE) among system-involved youth. This report also highlights the efforts of Stanislaus County, CA to achieve both of these goals.
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CFYJ Backgrounder on DOJ Actions
Tags: Federal | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Partner Publications
Concerns Over Recent Actions by the Department of Justice and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
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New Zealand's Youth Justice Transformation -- Lessons for the United States
Tags: Federal | International | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Restorative Justice | NJJN Publications
NJJN analyzes New Zealand's justice transformation process -- including their successes and challenges -- and have translated these findings into important lessons for the U.S.
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New Zealand's Youth Justice Transformation Executive Summary
Tags: Federal | International | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Restorative Justice | NJJN Publications
NJJN analyzes New Zealand's justice transformation process -- including their successes and challenges -- and have translated these findings into important lessons for the U.S.
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Ready to Launch: A Campaign Starter Toolkit to Close Youth Prisons
Tags: Federal | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Youth in the Adult System | Advocacy | Member Publications | Partner Publications
This toolkit created by Youth First Initiative can guide you on how to create a strategic plan to run a campaign to promote different initiatives and movement to close youth prisons. Presented to you is step-by-step guidelines to start a campaign from start to finish. It starts with researching and gathering information. Then it’s time to get your voice heard, create workplan and strategic approach, reach out to those of power, develop concrete planes, organize plan, develop campaign, get resources and support you need, use power of public opinion and media, recruit necessary staff, plan and execute post-launch activities.
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Racial Justice Toolkit Binder
Tags: Federal | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Advocacy | NJJN Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
All documents from the racial justice toolkit in one place.
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Racial Justice Advocacy Toolkit
Tags: Federal | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | NJJN Publications
Resources to help you connect with policymakers on racial justice
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5 Key Facts to Know About Racial Disparities in the Youth Justice System - National
Tags: Federal | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | NJJN Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
5 Key Facts to Know About Racial Disparities in the Youth Justice System - National
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5 Key Facts to Know About Racial Disparities in the Youth Justice System- state
Tags: Federal | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Member Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
5 Key Facts to Know About Racial Disparities in the Youth Justice System
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DeVosSignOnLetter120617FINAL
Tags: Federal | Brain and Adolescent Development | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Family and Youth Involvement | Physical Health | Advocacy | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Member Publications | Partner Publications
Letter to Sec. DeVos expressing strong support for robust enforcement of the regulation implementing the IDEA’s disproportionality requirements and opposition to any effort to delay its implementation. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
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Creating Meaningful Police and Youth of Color Relationships - NJJN Policy Platform - October 2017
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | NJJN Publications
Communities of color have a long-standing history of inequitable treatment by the police in the U.S. It is past time to change how police interact with black and brown youth. NJJN's 2017 Policy Platform provides background on this important issue and includes our recommendations.
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BULLIES IN BLUE: THE ORIGINS AND CONSEQUENCES OF SCHOOL POLICING
Tags: Federal | Texas | Washington | Crime Data and Statistics | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Family and Youth Involvement | Gangs | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Research
This report explains the unfavorable result of school policing, especially in low-income Black and Latino communities with the evidence from some states. Police is often seen using force or violence against youth, such as arresting and handcuffing students, even for minor crimes or misbehaviors. In addition, more presence of police in school including their presence in a classroom has increased fear among them. All these facts help support why schooling policing should be reconsidered.
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Racial Justice Resource Guide
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities
NJJN staff have been meeting regularly to review and discuss racial justice materials. Here is a brief list of some of the materials we have reviewed.
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The Sentencing Project Fact Sheet on Black Disparities in Youth Incarceration
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Fact Sheets and Briefs
Black youth were more than five times as likely to be detained or committed compared to white youth, according to data from the Department of Justice collected in October 2015 and recently released.
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Implicit Bias Snapshot
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | NJJN Publications
This snapshot will provide a brief overview of implicit bias as well as resources to find more information.
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Implicit Bias Studies Bibliography
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Charging Youth As Adults Is Ineffective, Bias-Fraught & Harmful
Tags: California | Brain and Adolescent Development | Collateral Consequences | Crime Data and Statistics | Detention | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Risk Assessment and Screening | Youth in the Adult System | Victims | Evidence-Based Practices | Legislation | Reports | Research
Prop. 57 passed this past November, one section took away from prosecutors the power to cause a young person to be tried as an adult out, and gave the power back to judges. The report includes disproportionality of race and geography in adult sentencing.
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Juvenile InJustice: Charging Youth as Adults is Ineffective, Biased, and Harmful
Tags: California | Brain and Adolescent Development | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Youth in the Adult System | Restorative Justice | Evidence-Based Practices | Reports | Research | Member Publications
A collaboration of formerly incarcerated youth and their families. Shows the harmful effects and provides recommendations for restorative justice-oriented solutions to improve health outcomes.
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Think Outside the Walls: Race and Incarceration in Juvenile Justice - Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance
Tags: Connecticut | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Member Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
The vast majority of children incarcerated in Connecticut are minorities. This Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance issue brief highlights some reasons for this and offers policy solutions.
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New Report Questions New Jersey’s Juvenile Justice System
Tags: New Jersey | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Media
News story and video covering report on glaring racial disparities by NJJN member the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice; includes interview with Kathy Wright, an alumna of NJJN's fellowship institute.
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Bring Our Children Home: Ain't I A Child? (full report)
Tags: New Jersey | Brain and Adolescent Development | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Youth in the Adult System | Member Publications
Extreme racial inequalities persist within New Jersey's juvenile justice system, according to a report from the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. Includes policy solutions.
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Bring Our Children Home: Ain't I A Child? (policy brief)
Tags: New Jersey | Brain and Adolescent Development | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Youth in the Adult System | Member Publications
Extreme racial inequalities persist within New Jersey's juvenile justice system, according to a report from the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. Includes policy solutions.
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DOJ filed a statement of interest
Tags: South Carolina | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Court Decisions and Related Documents | Reports
Enforcement of these vague statutes drives large numbers of young people into the juvenile and criminal justice systems, criminalizes common youthful behavior, results in racial disparities.
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Persistent Racial Inequality in School Arrest Rates in Connecticut
Tags: Connecticut | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
Declines in school arrest rates are not equal for all students. Racial disparities persist, and students of color continue to experience the highest school arrest rates, black and Latino youth was more than three times that of white students.
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New Report- Defend Children: A Blueprint for Effective Juvenile Defender Services
Tags: National | Detention | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Reports | Web-Based Tools | Partner Publications
Details how children are arrested, prosecuted, and incarcerated without attorneys at their side. Youth, and disproportionately youth of color, are swept into a system that criminalizes normal childhood behavior and deliberately withholds rights and protections that children not only deserve, but are constitutionally entitled to receive.
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Bill would address racial disparities in NJ laws
Tags: New Jersey | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Public Opinion and Messaging | Legislation
Legislation, S-677 (A-3677), authorizes racial impact statements for proposed criminal justice policies to address the disproportionate incarceration rates of African Americans. New Jersey has the highest black/white disparity in its prisons.
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State and Federal Policy: Incarcerated youth
Tags: Federal | National | Aftercare/Reentry | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Partner Publications
Racial disparities among youth and barriers to education leads to improvements needed for policy reform surrounding academic outcomes.
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Racial Disparities Persist In Juvenile Court Placements
Tags: Federal | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Fact Sheets and Briefs
Data compiled by the National Center for Juvenile Justice that reflects persistent racial disparities in court placements since the 1980s through to 2013.
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Kids in Prison: Getting Tried as An Adult Depends on Skin Color
Tags: New Jersey | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Youth in the Adult System | Media
Black teenagers in New Jersey are being tried as adults more than any other racial or ethnic group, resulting in harsher treatment and longer sentences. However, as of March 1st, 2016 minors in can not be sent to adult prisons and must at least start their sentences in juvenile facilities, though they may still be prosecuted as an adult.
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The Prosecution of Youth as Adults in California: A 2015 Update
Tags: California | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Youth in the Adult System | Reports | Fact Sheets and Briefs
A report updates trends in California's use of "direct file", wherein a prosecutor has the ultimate power to file charges against youth as young as 14 years old directly in adult criminal court. Direct filing disproportionately impacts youth of color.
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Righting Wrongs: The Five-Year Groundswell of State Bans on Life Without Parole for Children
Tags: Nevada | West Virginia | National | Brain and Adolescent Development | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Life Without Parole and Parole Issues | Youth in the Adult System | Reports | Partner Publications
Report from Campaign for Fair Sentencing of Youth highlights recent legislative reforms, some of the key stakeholders involved, and some of the lives impacted by these reforms.
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Debtors' Prison for Kids? The High Cost of Fines and Fees in the Juvenile Justice System, EXEC SUMMARY
Tags: Pennsylvania | National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Fines and Fees | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Reports | Partner Publications
A report on the impact of juvenile court costs on youth and their families. The report was featured in a New York Times article (http://nyti.ms/2d2GR0c) and includes a companion microsite featuring interactive maps (http://bit.ly/2deF6cP).
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Debtors' Prison for Kids? The High Cost of Fines and Fees in the Juvenile Justice System, JLC
Tags: Pennsylvania | National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Fines and Fees | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Reports | Partner Publications
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The Path From School Suspensions to Youth Incarceration in California
Tags: California | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Research
A report discussing how suspensions dramatically increased the chance that youth will be detained or incarcerated in California. Data also shows how youth of color are more likely to become incarcerated than their counterparts.
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People Are More Important Than Buildings
Tags: Connecticut | Aftercare/Reentry | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Member Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
This article addresses the issues of incarceration of youth in facilities that are very expensive and ineffective in dealing with youth who break the law. "People Are More Important Than Buildings", discusses steps Connecticut could and should take to hold our youth accountable while still treating them with dignity and respect.
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Racial Equity Report Card: North Carolina
Tags: North Carolina | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
This report published by member Youth Justice of North Carolina; data snapshot of racial disproportionalities that exist in a North Carolina's public education and youth justice systems.
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Crime Victims and Justice Reform - Fact Sheet from Justice Policy Institute
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Public Opinion and Messaging | Victims | Partner Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
Some crime victim organizations are supporting an approach to violence prevention, sentencing and violent crime that offer new opportunities to build support for policy change, and there are new opportunities to expand funding for these approaches.
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Do Black Kids Matter In Memphis?
Tags: Tennessee | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Youth in the Adult System | Media
This article discusses issues of racial inequalities in the Memphis youth criminal justice system and the underlying systematic problems causing youth of color to be treated harshly.
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Stemming the Rising Tide: Racial & Ethnic Disparities in Youth Incarceration and Strategies for Change (Burns Institute)
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Detention | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Youth in the Adult System | Restorative Justice | Reports | Partner Publications
Report from Burns Institute documenting racial disparities trends in the juvenile justice system and recommending strategies to address the roots of racial inequities and allow youth of color a chance at restorative justice and greater well being.
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Justice System Imposed Financial Penalties Increase the Likelihood of Recidivism in a Sample of Adolescent Offenders
Tags: Pennsylvania | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Fines and Fees | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Research
Study of the effect of financial costs incurred by youth int he justice system and the extent to which such costs relate to the likelihood of recidivism and eventual reintegration into society. Related to JLC Debtors' Prison report here: http://bit.ly/2deF6cP.
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The Prosecution of Youth as Adults: A County-Level Analysis of Prosecutorial Direct File in California and Its Disparate Impact on Youth of Color, Burns Institute
Tags: California | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Youth in the Adult System | Reports | Partner Publications
Joint report examining the prosecution of youth as adults in California finds: Prosecutors are increasingly using direct file despite plummeting youth crime; racial and ethnic disparities have grown; county-level disparities have led to an inequitable system of "justice-by-geography."
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Metropolitan Congregations for St. Louis, Break the Pipeline press packet, May 2016
Tags: Missouri | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Media
Press packet for launch of campaign to end the criminalization of youth of color.
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NJJN - Addressing the Intersection of Gender and Racial Disparities: a Snapshot from the Juvenile Justice Resource Hub
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Girls | Risk Assessment and Screening | Status Offenses | NJJN Publications
Girls of color suffer the effects of gender and racial bias in the youth justice system. This snapshot from the National Juvenile Justice Network contains recommendations for addressing this.
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Fight for Our Girls: Status Offenses
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Girls | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Status Offenses | Reports | Research
This resource from the Center for the Study of Social Policy unpacks the history of girls of color's interaction with the justice system through the disproportionate application of status offense statues.
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Racial Disparities in Youth Committments and Arrests
Tags: National | Detention | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Reports
This brief from the Sentencing Project examines continued racial and ethnic disparities among youth in contact with the justice system.
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Illinois Juvenile Justice Initiative Testimony on Closure of Kewanee Youth Correctional Facility_Mar25-2016
Tags: Illinois | Deinstitutionalization | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Fiscal Issues and Funding | Testimony | Member Publications
NJJN's Illinois member, the Juvenile Justice Initiative, submitted written testimony supporting the closure of the Kewanee youth correctional facility.
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Disparate Impact under Title VI and the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Court Decisions and Related Documents
This memorandum is intended to provide a general practice guide on the disparate impact doctrine under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d, et seq.3 This overview focuses on how traditional public school and public charter school discipline policies and programs disproportionately impact students of color, a pattern known as the “school-to-prison pipeline” (“STPP”) .
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Juvenile Justice in Arizona: The Fiscal Foundations of Effective Policy
Tags: Arizona | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Fiscal Issues and Funding | General System Reform | Reports | Member Publications
Analysis of the state of the youth justice system in Arizona, and the fiscal underpinnings of effective youth justice policy.
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FINAL REPORT OF THE GOVERNOR'S COMMISSION ON YOUTH, PUBLIC SAFETY AND JUSTICE: Recommendations for Juvenile Justice Reform in New York State
Tags: New York | Brain and Adolescent Development | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Youth in the Adult System | Reports
Why “raise the age” now? Numerous developments have converged in recent years to forge a growing consensus for this and related reforms to New York State’s juvenile justice system. In brief, at least seven key developments have brought us to this point where reform is both necessary and possible. Each of these developments is explored in greater detail in this report.
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YTFG Blueprint for Youth Justice Reform - 2016
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Crossover and Dual Jurisdiction Youth | Deinstitutionalization | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Family and Youth Involvement | General System Reform | Girls | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Youth in the Adult System | Partner Publications
The Youth Justice Work Group (YJWG) of the Youth Transition Funders Group (YTFG) envisions a youth justice system that fosters the healthy development and well-being of all children and youth by building upon their strengths, cultivating their relationships with caring adults, supporting their families and communities, and offering them age-appropriate opportunities for future success. We are committed to partnering with the broader community to promote restorative justice, safety, opportunity and positive outcomes for all young people. In order to achieve our vision, and in alignment with YTFG’s Youth Well-Being Framework, we recommend the following 10 Tenets for Youth Justice Reform.
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Principles for Kansas Youth Justice Reform
Tags: Kansas | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Girls | Reports | Member Publications
This report lays out the central principles with which the Kansans United for Youth Justice campaign approaches youth justice reform.
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Trends in Juvenile Justice State Legislation 2011-2015
Tags: National | Aftercare/Reentry | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Crossover and Dual Jurisdiction Youth | Deinstitutionalization | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Reports
National Conference of State Legislatures tracks trends in state legislation of youth justice reform for 2011-2015. Specific trends have emerged to: Restore jurisdiction to the juvenile court, divert youth from the system, reform detention, shift resources from incarceration to community-based alternatives, provide strong public defense for youth, address racial and ethnic disparities in justice systems, respond more effectively to the mental health needs of young offenders, and improve re-entry and aftercare programs for youth.
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Engaging Law Enforcement on Youth Justice Reform: a Policy Update
Tags: National | Brain and Adolescent Development | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | NJJN Publications
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Power in Partnerships: Building Connections at the Intersections of Racial Justice and LGBTQ Movements to End the School-to-Prison-Pipeline
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | LGBTQ Youth | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Over the last decade, the school-to-prison pipeline has gone from a fringe educational issue to a national youth-led movement anchored by grassroots communities across the country. Because of the school-to-prison pipeline’s unique effects on students of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) students, and especially LGBTQ students of color, the issue has provided an opportunity for powerful intersectional work among the racial justice community and the LGBTQ community. And while we have made a lot of progress by harnessing our joint power, we would like to—and desperately need to—build even more. This is essential if we are going to win. Power in Partnerships is a resource for all racial justice and LGBTQ groups to help build or continue to build that power.
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DOJ Report: Investigation of the St. Louis Family Court in St. Louis, Missouri
Tags: Missouri | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Reports
Following a comprehensive investigation, the Justice Department today announced its findings regarding the St. Louis County Family Court. The Justice Department found that the family court fails to provide constitutionally required due process to children appearing for delinquency proceedings, and that the court's administration of juvenile justice discriminates against Black children.
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Confining Youth for Profit | Policy Platform | PDF
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Institutional Conditions | Privatization | NJJN Publications
NJJN recommends ending the use of for-profit private youth confinement facilities because they encourage the incarceration of youth and the elimination of services youth need to succeed. Also, making money on keeping youth in bondage is morally wrong.
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The Color of Justice
Tags: Connecticut | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Member Publications
Connecticut Juvenile Justice Association's report on racial and ethnic disparities in the Connecticut youth justice system.
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Disproportionate Contact: The Color of Maine's Juvenile Justice System
Tags: Maine | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Reports | Research
This research documents the rate of disproportionate minority contact for youth involved in Maines juvenile justice system, differences in pathways to detention for youth of color, and the experiences of youth and families of color who have had contact with Maines juvenile justice system.
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Are We Closing the School Discipline Gap? (Center for Civil Rights Remedies)
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
The main body of this report from the Center for Civil Rights Remedies documents gross disparities in the use of out-of-school suspension experienced by students with disabilities and those from historically disadvantaged racial, ethnic, and gender subgroups. The egregious disparities revealed in the pages that follow transform concerns about educational policy that allows frequent disciplinary removal into a profound matter of civil rights and social justice. This implicates the potentially unlawful denial of educational opportunity and resultant disparate impact on students in numerous districts across the country.
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Op-ed: Robbed of childhood and chances -- Ferguson and beyond
Tags: Missouri | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Media
Op-ed by Mae Quinn in St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Too many kids of color are robbed of their innocence by inhumane police practices and handed reduced life chances simply because of the color of their skin."
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Black Lives Matter: Eliminating Racial Inequality in the Criminal Justice System
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports | Partner Publications
The criminal justice system’s high volume of contact with people of color is a major cause of African Americans’ disproportionate rate of fatal police encounters, as well as of broader perceptions of injustice in many communities. This briefing paper identifies four key features of the justice system that contribute to its disparate racial impact, and presents recent best practices for targeting these inequities drawn from adult and juvenile justice systems around the country. In many cases, these practices have produced demonstrable results.
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Latino Voices: The Impact of Crime and Criminal Justice Policies on Latinos
Tags: California | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
This report documents the impact of both crime and criminal justice policy on Latino people, noting that while Latinos comprise a similar portion of the population as whites in California, they are vastly overrepresented in the justice system--both as victims of crime and as those prosecuted for it.
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State Juvenile Justice Profiles, 2005
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports | Research
The National Center for Juvenile Justice compiles a vast body of knowledge concerning the organization and administration of juvenile justice in each of the fifty states in 2005.
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Act-4-JJ Press Release: Bipartisan consensus on strengthening federal law to reduce incarceration, make state juvenile justice systems more fair, improve public safety
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Status Offenses | Youth in the Adult System | Legislation | Media | Partner Publications
Act-4-JJ's press statement regarding the bill introduced on December 11, 2014 by Sens. Whitehouse and Grassley that would reauthorize the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA).
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Bill: Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act Reauthorization, December 11, 2014
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Status Offenses | Youth in the Adult System | Legislation
The content of the bill introduced on December 11, 2014 by Sens. Whitehouse and Grassley that would reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA).
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JJDPA Reauthorization Bill - Summary - December, 2014
Tags: Iowa | Rhode Island | National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Status Offenses | Youth in the Adult System | Legislation | Reports | Partner Publications
ACT-4-JJ summarizes the content of a bill that would reauthorize the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), introduced by Sens. Whitehouse and Grassley on December 11, 2014.
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Press Release: JJDPA Reathorization Bill, December 2014
Tags: Iowa | Rhode Island | National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Status Offenses | Youth in the Adult System | Legislation | Media | NJJN Publications
A joint press release from the National Juvenile Justice Network and the Coalition for Juvenile Justice regarding the December 11, 2014 re-introduction of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) by Sens. Whitehouse and Grassley.
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The Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice 2013 Recommendations to the President, Congress, and OJJDP Administrator
Tags: Federal | National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Family and Youth Involvement | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Evidence-Based Practices | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Reports
The Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice makes policy recommendations on topics of evidence-based practices, youth engagement, youth justice and schools, and disproportionate minority contact, as well as strongly urging the president, congress, and OJJDP to reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention act.
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Race and Punishment: Racial Perceptions of Crime and Support for Punitive Policies
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Reports | Research
This report, put out by the Sentencing Project, examines skewed racial perceptions of crime – particularly, white Americans’ strong associations of crime with racial minorities – have bolstered harsh and biased criminal justice policies.
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Juvenile Justice Initiative of Illinois' Fall Newsletter, 2014
Tags: Illinois | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Member Publications
The Juvenile Justice Initiative of Illinois' (an NJJN member) quarterly newsletter for the fall of 2014 explores racial disparities in automatic provisions, gives an update on proposed legislation to reform Illinois' transfer code, and an update on Redeploy Illinois' progress.
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Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice Systems: Promising Practices
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | NJJN Publications
Although crime rates and youth confinement have fallen sharply, youth of color are disproportionately represented at nearly all points in the juvenile justice system. This document draws on Models for Change innovations to identify policy recommendations to reduce these disparities. Photo by Victor Keegan: http://bit.ly/1uGjF6P.
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Juveniles in Placement, 2011 (OJJDP)
Tags: National | Deinstitutionalization | Detention | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Youth in the Adult System | Reports
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention provides a detailed picture of youth in both public and private residential placements for the year 2011.
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Op-ed: Reflections on Justice After Ferguson, MO: When Will Youth of Color Receive the Same Due Process as Officer Darren Wilson?
Tags: Missouri | National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Media
Marsha Levick and Mae Quinn: If you had to choose between the protections afforded Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson and the treatment provided to most young black males in America, which would you demand for your child?
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Blind Discretion: Girls of Color & Delinquency in the Juvenile Justice System
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Girls | Research
The purpose of the juvenile justice system, is to cater to each youth's individual needs. However, according to Jyoti Nanda, girls of color tend to slip through the crack of the juvenile justice system. Not only is there a gender gap in the system, but also a racial one. Nanda provides solutions to help close this gap.
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My Brother's Keeper Task Force Report to the President
Tags: Federal | National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
A report by My Brother's Keeper explains how to improve life prospects and opportunities for boys and young men of color. Guidelines are based on a 90 day implementation program to help provide equal opportunities by focusing on specific areas such as education, home environment, and the workforce.
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My Brother's Keeper Task Force Report to the President
Tags: Federal | National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities
A report by My Brother's Keeper explains how to improve life prospects and opportunities for boys and young men of color. Guidelines are based on a 90 day implementation program to help provide equal opportunities by focusing on specific areas such as education, home environment, and the workforce.
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Automatic Adult Prosecution of Children in Cook County, Illinois, 2010-2012
Tags: Illinois | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Youth in the Adult System | Reports | Member Publications
This publication explores the effects of a 32-year-old Illinois law that requires juveniles accused of the most serious crimes to be charged as adults. The study finds that the law is discriminatory, prevents judges from exercising their judgment and makes it more likely that those who are convicted will commit violent crimes in the future.
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Just Learning: The Imperative to Transform Juvenile Justice Systems Into Effective Educational Systems - Executive Summary
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Correctional Education | Reports | Research
Exec. summary of Southern Education Foundation survey of the educational provisions of Southern youth justice facilities. The data shows that both state and local juvenile justice systems are failing profoundly in providing adequate, effective education in the South and the nation.
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Just Learning: The Imperative to Transform Juvenile Justice Systems Into Effective Educational Systems
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Research
This study by the Southern Education Foundation surveys the educational provisions of Southern youth justice facilities. The data shows that both state and local juvenile justice systems are failing profoundly in providing adequate, effective education in the South and the nation.
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Unlocking Potential: Addressing the Overuse of Juvenile Detention in Massachusetts
Tags: Massachusetts | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Institutional Conditions | Reports | Partner Publications
This report from the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (an NJJN partner) discusses the high rate of incarceration of youth in Massachusetts. It details the number of youth incarcerated for minor and nonviolent offenses, as well as the broad racial and ethnic disparities observable in the state's youth incarceration rates.
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The State of America's Children - 2014 Report
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Crossover and Dual Jurisdiction Youth | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Physical Health | Reports | Partner Publications
The Children's Defense Fund's annual report detailing the current status of multiple issues that affect children, including juvenile justice and youth incarceration.
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Oregon S.B. 463
Tags: Oregon | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Legislation
The 2013 Oregon Senate Bill requiring that the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission create, upon request of any member of the Legislative Assembly, a racial impact statement for proposed legislation.
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And Justice For Some: Differential Treatment of Youth of Color in the Justice System
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
This report from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency tracks disparate treatment of youth of color at every stage of the justice process--from police practices through confinement.
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Black, Brown, and Over-Policed in L.A. Schools
Tags: California | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Structural proposals to end the school-to-prison pipeline in the Los Angeles Unified School District and to build a national movement to stop the mass incarceration of Black and Latino communities. This report comes from The Strategy Center.
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Criminalizing Normal Adolescent Behavior in Communities of Color: The Role of Prosecutors in Juvenile Justice Reform
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Research
Professor Henning implores juvenile prosecutors to resist external pressures to respond punitively and symbolically to exaggerated perceptions of threat by youth of color and envisions a path toward structured decision making at the charging phase that is informed by research in adolescent development, challenges distorted notions of race and maturity, and holds prosecutors accountable for equitable decision making across race.
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Racial Disparities and the Juvenile Justice System: A Legacy of Trauma - NCTSN Trauma-Informed Approach Brief
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Reports
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, a program of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Mental Health Services, released six online briefs in September, 2013. This brief outlines the problem of racial disparities in the juvenile justice system, how these disparities contribute to youth trauma, and possible ways to address this problem.
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Legislature Mandates Collection of Data on Race and Ethnicity, S.B. 1598
Tags: Illinois | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Legislation
In an effort to gather information on racial and ethnic disparities in the justice system, Illinois now requires the collection of racial and ethnic data at the time of arrest, commitment, and/or transfer from the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) to the Department of Corrections (DOC). DJJ and DOC must include the data in their annual reports to the General Assembly. S.B. 1598/ Act No. 98-0528, signed into law August 23, 2013; effective January 1, 2015.
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Oregon Allows Legislators to Request Racial and Ethnic Impact Statements for Juvenile Justice Legislation, S.B. 463
Tags: Oregon | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Legislation
The Oregon Legislature passed a bill allowing lawmakers to request racial and ethnic impact statements for any criminal justice, juvenile justice, or child welfare-related bill. Upon written request from one member of the Legislative Assembly from each major political party, the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission must produce a racial and ethnic impact statement for the bill in question. Such a statement must be “impartial, simple, and understandable,” and include an estimate of how the legislation would change the racial and ethnic composition of the targeted population, a statement of methodologies and assumptions used in preparing the estimate, and, if applicable, an estimate of the racial and ethnic composition of the crime victims who may be affected by the proposed legislation. The law is intended to help eliminate the severely disparate racial and ethnic impacts of the three systems. S.B. 463/Act No. 600, signed into law July 1, 2013; effective January 1, 2014.
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Colorado Requires Gender and Racial Impact Note for Certain Legislation, S.B. 229/Act No. 272
Tags: Colorado | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Girls | Legislation
The Colorado General Assembly passed a bill requiring a gender and racial impact note in all legislative measures proposed by the Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice that create a new criminal offense, increase or decrease the classification of an existing criminal offense, or change an element of an existing criminal offense. S.B. 229/Act No. 272, signed into law May 25, 2013; effective July 1, 2013.
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Juvenile Court and School Safety Workgroup Aims to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities through Diversion of School-Based Arrests and Court Referrals
Tags: Maryland | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
The newly established Prince George’s County Juvenile Court and School Safety Workgroup is to develop interagency policies to reduce the number of school-based arrests and referrals to court by diverting youth to community-based programs. The initiative is modeled after similar reform work in Clayton County, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; and Baltimore, Maryland and is intended to be part of broader, statewide detention reform in Maryland. The group’s overarching goal is to reduce the over-representation of African-American youth in the system. The group submitted a report in December 2013 that reviews school arrest data and offers recommendations for interagency policies and diversion mechanisms, ways to reduce arrests through diversion to existing school and community-based programs, ways to reduce the over-representation of African-American youth in the county’s juvenile justice system, and specific criteria for diversion programs. H.B. 1338/Act No. 677, signed into law May 16, 2013; effective June 1, 2013.
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To Punish A Few: Too Many Youth Caught in the Net of Adult Prosecution
Tags: National | Brain and Adolescent Development | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Youth in the Adult System | Reports | Research | Partner Publications
This 2007 report from the Campaign for Youth Justice highlights some of the consequences of prosecuting and detaining youth through the adult criminal justice system. The report explores the consequences of transfer for public safety, the costs of prosecuting youth as adults, the lengthy prison sentences faces by juveniles convicted as adults in states with strike laws, the developmental differences between children, teenagers and adults, the disproportionate representation of youth of color in both the adult and juvenile justice systems, and the incarceration of youth in adult detention facilities.
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Department of Justice Reaches Consent Decree with Mississippi School District that Violated Constitutional Rights of Youth, John Barnhardt, et al. and United States of America v. Meridian Municipal Separate School District, et al.
Tags: Mississippi | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Court Decisions and Related Documents
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Meridian School District reached a consent decree regarding the district’s denial of substantive and procedural due process to youth through its over- and misuse of arrests and law enforcement intervention. According to the DOJ’s investigation, youth were arrested in school for minor infractions; police arrested youth in schools without investigating the offense at issue; judges rubber stamped cases, issuing detention orders without due process; youth did not receive adequate representation in court; and youth of color and students with disabilities were overwhelmingly affected by the constitutional violations. The consent decree requires the school district to establish safe and inclusive learning environments, provide supports and interventions before removing students from school, limit the removal of students from classrooms as a disciplinary measure, ensure that disciplinary consequences are fair and consistent, establish clear guidelines for law enforcement interventions, create a monitoring and accountability system using data, and train teachers and administrators with the tools to manage schools and classrooms safely and effectively. John Barnhardt, et al. and United States of America v. Meridian Municipal Separate School District, et al., Civil Action No. 4:65-cv-01300-HTW-LRA (S.D. Miss. March 22, 2013).
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Juvenile Justice Reform in Connecticut: How Collaboration and Commitment Improved Outcomes for Youth Justice Policy Institute
Tags: Connecticut | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Detention | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Status Offenses | Reports | Partner Publications
A look at Connecticut’s juvenile justice system reforms shows how a culture change and major investments in evidence-based services turned a wasteful, punitive, ineffective, and abusive juvenile justice system into a national model, at no additional cost to taxpayers.
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Juvenile Justice Reform in Connecticut: How Collaboration and Commitment Improved Outcomes for Youth Justice Policy Institute [Exec. Summ]
Tags: Connecticut | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Detention | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Status Offenses | Partner Publications
A look at Connecticut’s juvenile justice system reforms shows how a culture change and major investments in evidence-based services turned a wasteful, punitive, ineffective, and abusive juvenile justice system into a national model, at no additional cost to taxpayers.
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Reducing Youth Incarceration in the United States: KIDS COUNT Data Snapshot
Tags: Deinstitutionalization | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports | Research | Partner Publications
KIDS COUNT data snapshot from the Casey Foundation finds the rate of young people locked up because they were in trouble with the law dropped more than 40 percent over a 15-year period, with no decrease in public safety, though racial disparities persist.
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Child Welfare: Gateway to Juvenile Court for African-American Youth
Tags: Crossover and Dual Jurisdiction Youth | Racial and Ethnic Disparities
Is child welfare a gateway to the juvenile justice system for African-American youth? A new policy update from NJJN, drawing on a “knowledge brief” published by Models for Change, suggests that the answer is “yes.”
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Families Unlocking Futures: Solutions to the Crisis in Juvenile Justice (Executive Summary)
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Family and Youth Involvement | General System Reform | Institutional Conditions | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Youth in the Adult System | Partner Publications
Executive summary of report from Justice for Families and DataCenter, based on more than 1,000 surveys and 24 focus groups with families of youth who have been in the justice system. The report shows the many ways justice systems have failed youth, families and communities and proposes solutions for transforming youth justice to help our youth succeed and keep our communities safe.
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U.S. Department of Justice Findings: Investigation of the Shelby County Juvenile Court
Tags: Mississippi | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division finds discriminatory treatment towards African-American children in Shelby County Juvenile Court, along with systematic due process violations.
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U.S. Department of Justice Investigation Leads to Consent Decree Addressing Disparate Treatment of African-American Youth
Tags: Tennessee | Detention | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Court Decisions and Related Documents
A comprehensive, multi-year investigation of the Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County and the Shelby County Juvenile Detention Center by the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed racial discrimination, widespread violations of youth’s due process rights, and excessively harsh treatment of detained youth. Specifically, the investigation found disparate treatment of African-American youth at almost every phase of the juvenile justice system, failure to provide adequate due process protections to youth before transferring them to adult court, failure to provide timely and adequate notice of delinquency charges, and unnecessary and excessive use of restraints, among other violations. Shelby County and DOJ entered into a consent decree in December of 2012, which includes specific remedial measures in the areas of due process, disparate treatment, protection from harm for detained youth, and community outreach.
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Connecticut Biennial Report on Disproportionate Minority Contact FY10-11, 12.31.11
Tags: Connecticut | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Per H.B. 6634 in 2011, report includes a chart of the steps to be taken by various state agencies to address DMC in FY 2012 and FY 2013, focusing on data, policies and practices, shared initiatives, and training and technical assistance. The report also includes information on efforts made by state agencies to address DMC in the past.
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Knowledge Brief: Are Minority Youths Treated Differently in Juvenile Probation?
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
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Knowledge Brief: Is There a Link between Child Welfare and Disproportionate Minority Contact in Juvenile Justice?
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
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Non-Judicial Drivers into the Juvenile Justice System for Youth of Color
Tags: California | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
An analysis by the W. Haywood Burns Institute on youth in the juvenile justice system in California indicates that lack of access to medical care and behavioral health care are key drivers for why low-risk youth of color land in the juvenile justice system in such high numbers.
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Illinois Creates Racial and Ethnic Impact Research Task Force, S.B. 2271
Tags: Illinois | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Legislation
Illinois' Racial and Ethnic Impact Research Task Force is to determine a practical method for the standardized collection and analysis of data on the racial and ethnic identity of arrested individuals.
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Connecticut Requires State to Address Disproportionate Minority Contact, H.B. 6634
Tags: Connecticut | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Legislation
The Connecticut Commissioner of Children and Families, Commissioner of Public Safety, Chief State's Attorney, Chief Public Defender, Chief Court Administrator, and Police Officer Standards and Training Council must each prepare a report on their plans to address disproportionate minority contact and steps taken to implement those plans during the previous two fiscal years. The first biennial report was submitted to the governor and legislature on December 31, 2011.
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Texas Establishes Disproportionality Council, S.B. 501
Tags: Texas | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Legislation
Texas’ Interagency Council for Addressing Disproportionality will examine the level of disproportionate involvement of youth who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group at each stage of the juvenile justice, child welfare, and mental health systems. Stages include points of entry, points at which treatment decisions are made, and outcomes for youth exiting the systems. The council will also make recommendations on ways to reduce the number of racial and ethnic minority youth in the juvenile justice, child welfare, and mental health systems.
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Texas Establishes Disproportionality Council, S.B. 501
Tags: Texas | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Legislation
Texas’ Interagency Council for Addressing Disproportionality will examine the level of disproportionate involvement of youth who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group at each stage of the juvenile justice, child welfare, and mental health systems. Stages include points of entry, points at which treatment decisions are made, and outcomes for youth exiting the systems. The council will also make recommendations on ways to reduce the number of racial and ethnic minority youth in the juvenile justice, child welfare, and mental health systems.
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Interactive State Data Map, W. Haywood Burns Institute
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Web-Based Tools
Interactive online map of all 50 states outline juvenile justice outcomes related to DMC.
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Race and Justice Clearinghouse, The Sentencing Project
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Web-Based Tools
Online database of annotated citations for more than 450 research articles, studies, reports, and books that explore the intersection of race and ethnicity within the criminal justice and juvenile justice systems.
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Fayette County, Kentucky Schools Commit to End Disparate Discipline Practices, December 2010
Tags: Kentucky | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Court Decisions and Related Documents
The Fayette County Public School System and the Kentucky Department of Education—facing claims of disparate discipline practices according to race and disability status of students—entered into a settlement agreement in Fayette County. The agreement includes provisions to involve an outside consultant with expertise in Positive Behavior Intervention Strategies (PBIS), conduct district-wide training of all staff on PBIS, revise the districts’ codes of conduct, create compliance committees comprised of community members and school personnel, and regularly track and review data to establish progress.
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Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice Systems, National Juvenile Justice Network Policy Platform
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports | NJJN Publications
In this policy platform, the National Juvenile Justice Network offers recommendations on how to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system.
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Getting Beyond Failure: Promising Approaches to Reducing DMC, Ashley Nellis and Brad Richardson, Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Article presenting promising approaches that have resulted from investments by private foundations (Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative and the W. Haywood Burns Institute) and suggesting steps that should be taken from here (coordinating different bodies to reduce DMC, identifying key decision points, creating systems to collect data, developing and implementing plans to address disparities, and publicly reporting findings and progress).
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How to End the Criminalization of Students of Color: Lessons from Louisiana, Annie Balck and Gina Womack, National Juvenile Justice Network, March 2010; Originally published in the Race Equity E-Newsletter
Tags: Louisiana | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | NJJN Publications
Article describing the nature of the school to prison pipeline and how reform in Louisiana should serve as a lesson for school districts around the country.
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Just the Facts: A Snapshot of Incarcerated Hispanic Youth, Jose D. Saarvedra, National Council of La Raza
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Fact sheet including statistics that highlight the overrepresentation of Latino youth in juvenile justice systems and adult facilities.
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Juvenile Justice System Decision Points Study, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, February 2010
Tags: Minnesota | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
A Minnesota law aims to address racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system and mandates that a study group produce a plan to determine how to best collect data on race, ethnicity, gender, geography, and offenses in the juvenile justice system. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Justice Programs submitted a report on behalf of the study group in February 2010 on strategies to improve Minnesota’s juvenile justice data collection and analysis.
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Equity in Kansas Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice System, Fall 2009
Tags: Kansas | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Kansas’ former governor launched an effort to promote racial and ethnic equity across all Kansas child welfare and juvenile justice programs. The effort brought together 10 communities to examine disparities and generate recommendations for reform. Each community detailed its recommendations in a final report submitted to the governor.
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Rapides Parish, Louisiana Service Referral Matrix, September 23, 2009
Tags: Louisiana | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Risk Assessment and Screening | Reports
In May 2009, Rapides Parish juvenile justice officials, in collaboration with the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change initiative, developed a service referral matrix based on the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) with a goal of reducing disproportionate probation revocations. The matrix outlines all of the options available to address a youth’s needs in various domains, including mental health, family relationships, and peers.
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Opportunities Lost: Racial Disparities in Juvenile Justice in Kentucky and Identified Needs for System Change, Kentucky Youth Advocates
Tags: Kentucky | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports | Member Publications
Issue brief reviewing Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) in Kentucky at various stages of the juvenile justice process, discussing current efforts to reduce DMC, and offering recommendations to reduce disparities.
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Reducing Disproportionate Minority Contact: Preparation at the Local Level, Mark Soler and Lisa M. Garry, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Manual describing strategies that states and communities can use to reduce disproportionate minority contact with the juvenile justice system.
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Oregon Portland Public School Board Policy, Student Conduct and Discipline, June 2009
Tags: Oregon | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
In June 2009, Oregon’s largest urban school district, Portland Public Schools, established a new policy and committed to pilot projects in 10 schools to reduce the use of suspension and expulsion and, in particular, to reduce racial disparities in school discipline. The policy acknowledges the link between student achievement and discipline practices and states its interest in eliminating disparities in applying discipline.
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Minnesota Mandates Juvenile Justice Data Collection, Minnesota, H.F. 702
Tags: Minnesota | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Legislation
Addresses racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system.
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Minnesota Juvenile Justice Data Collection Bill Addresses Racial and Ethnic Disparities, H.F. 702
Tags: Minnesota | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Legislation
A Minnesota law aims to address racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system and mandates that a study group produce a plan to determine how to best collect data on race, ethnicity, gender, geography, and offenses in the juvenile justice system. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Justice Programs submitted a report on behalf of the study group in February 2010 on strategies to improve Minnesota’s juvenile justice data collection and analysis.
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A Second Reassessment of DMC in Connecticut’s Juvenile Justice System, May 15, 2009
Tags: Connecticut | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
In May 2009, Connecticut's Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee completed its third in-depth research study of disproportionate minority contact at nearly all decision points across the system. The report includes several recommendations for policy and practice changes, such as improved, more frequent data collection and reporting, and making a judge's order a requirement for every detention admission.
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Indiana Legislature Oversees Measures to Reduce DMC, H.B. 1289
Tags: Indiana | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Legislation
The Board for the Coordination of Programs Serving Vulnerable Individuals, established by the legislature, will oversee the implementation of the recommendations made by Indiana’s Commission on Disproportionality in Youth Services.
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America's Invisible Children: Latino Youth and the Failure of Justice, National Council of La Raza and Campaign for Youth Justice
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Report examining the experiences of Latino youth in the justice system.
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Racial and Ethnic Disparity and Disproportionality in Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice: A Compendium, Center for Juvenile Justice Reform and Chapin Hall
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Compendium discussing the problem of disproportionate minority contact (DMC) and describing ongoing initiatives to address DMC.
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Adoration of the Question: Reflections on the Failure to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Juvenile Justice System, James Bell and Laura John Ridolfi, W. Haywood Burns Institute
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Report examining the antecedents that continue to influence the juvenile justice system. The report begins by outlining the early system and its approach toward youth of color, and then examines DMC and its perceived causes. It next analyzes the well-intentioned federal mandates that have largely failed to reduce entrenched disparities in the system.
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Investigating Racial Disparity at the Detention Decision: The Role of Respectability, Don L. Kurtz, Travis Linnemann, and Ryan Spohn, Southwest Journal of Criminal Justice
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Reports on racial disparity in pre-trial detention. The researchers believe that negative stereotypes about minority youth play a part in detention decisions.
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Commission on Disproportionality in Youth Services Recommendations, Indiana, Commission on Disproportionality in Youth Services
Tags: Indiana | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Report to the governor and general assembly on juvenile justice, mental health, education, and child welfare services. The report contains 74 recommendations, including a call to amend the Indiana Code to have a non-discrimination principle.
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Challenges of Implementing Evidence-Based Practices with Youth of Color Teleconference Audio Recording, Dr. Ken Martinez
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Presentations
Dr. Ken Martinez discusses the challenges of using evidence based practices with youth of color.
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Challenges of Implementing Evidence-Based Practices with Youth of Color Teleconference Presentation, Dr. Ken Martinez
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Presentations
PowerPoint slide show used by Dr. Ken Martinez for his teleconference on October 7, 2008.
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Illinois Establishes Commission to Study Disproportionate Justice Impact, Illinois, S.B. 2476/Public Act 95-0995
Tags: Illinois | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Legislation
Creates the Commission to Study Disproportionate Justice Impact in order to catalogue the nature and extent of harm caused to minority communities through violation and sentencing provisions. The Commission's findings must be submitted by December 31, 2009.
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Critical Condition: African American Youth in the Justice System, Neelum Arya and Ian Augarten, Campaign for Youth Justice
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Report shedding light on the lack of progress in reducing the vast disparities in treatment between African American and white youth over the past 20 years. The report highlights the fact that black youth continue to be overrepresented at most stages in the justice system. Data show that African American youth receive harsher treatment than whites from arrest through prosecution. Additionally, the overwhelming majority (83%) of cases that were filed in adult courts involved youth of color.
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RAI 4 Implementation Fact Sheet, First Ten Months, Multnomah County, Oregon
Tags: Oregon | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Risk Assessment and Screening | Reports
New validated detention risk instrument has decreased the detention rate for African American youth in Multnomah County by 15%.
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Disparities in Juvenile Justice System, New Hampshire Public Radio
Tags: New Hampshire | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Media
Statistics from the New Hampshire Division of Juvenile Justice show that children in New Hampshire between the ages of 10-17 are three times more likely to be arrested than white 10-17 year olds. The statistics also show that Hispanic kids who have been arrested are twice as likely to have their cases go to court as their white counterparts. A committee made up of police officers, judges and advocates has begun to investigate the root causes of the disparity and to hold any individuals responsible accountable.
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A Tangled Web of Justice: American Indian and Alaska Native Youth in Federal, State, and Tribal Justice Systems, Neelum Arya and Addie C. Rolnick, Campaign for Youth Justice
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Youth in the Adult System | Reports
Policy brief intended to serve as resource for tribes, juvenile justice professionals, and other stakeholders interested in improving outcomes for Native youth by presenting the current state of knowledge on Native youth and their involvement in justice systems across the country,
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Assessing Consistency and Fairness in Sentencing: A Comparative Study in Three States, National Center for State Courts
Tags: Michigan | Minnesota | Virginia | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Report examining significantly different sentencing guidelines in three states: Virginia, where the guidelines are mandatory; Michigan, which offers some judicial discretion; and Minnesota, which has the most mandatory system of the three. The study concludes that regardless of the amount of judicial discretion, the guidelines result in consistent sentences that generally are not influenced by race and economic status. The study also notes the marked contrast of its findings to the inconsistent and discriminatory sentencing practices that were documented in each state before the implementation of the sentencing guidelines.
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Locking Up Our Children: The Secure Detention of Massachusetts Youth After Arraignment and Before Detention, Robin L. Dahlberg, American Civil Liberties Union
Tags: Massachusetts | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Report documenting the use of detention by Massachusetts judges to frighten youth never convicted of wrongdoing. The report also addresses the woeful lack of placement availability in the state's child welfare and mental health systems that leave detention as the only viable option for youth who cannot be safely returned to their homes.
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Overcoming Language and Cultural Barriers Using Evidence-Based Practices, National Council of La Raza
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Report focusing on the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) within the Latino juvenile population. The report discusses the utility of EBPs, but also notes the limited evidence of successful outcomes for Latino youth. More research is necessary to improve the efficacy of EBPs for Latinos; an effective juvenile justice system must assess whether the responses utilized take into account the cultural and linguistic needs of the population under their care.
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Native American Youth and the Juvenile Justice System, National Council on Crime and Delinquency
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Research paper outlining rates of arrested, adjudicated, and incarcerated Native American youth and concluding that Native Americans are disproportionately represented in the juvenile justice system.
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Governor's Commission Recommends Returning 17-Year-Olds to Juvenile Jurisdiction, Commission on Reducing Racial Disparities in the Wisconsin Justice System
Tags: Wisconsin | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Youth in the Adult System | Reports
The Commission links the overrepresentation of minority youth to current juvenile justice policies and recommends returning 17-year-olds to the original jurisdiction of the juvenile court.
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Reducing Racial Disparity in the Criminal Justice System: A Manual for Practioners and Policymakers, The Sentencing Project
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Comprehensive manual for practitioners and policymakers providing insight into how racial disparities develop in the criminal justice system, and workable solutions to address and reduce disparities at each stage of the system.
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South Dakota to Improve Treatment of Native American Youth in School, ACLU Press Release
Tags: South Dakota | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Media
The ACLU and Winner School District agreed to a settlement to end the harsh treatment of Native American youth.
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And Justice for Some: Differential Treatment of Youth of Color in the Justice System, National Council on Crime and Delinquency
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Report updating a 2000 report entitled "And Justice for Some: Differential Treatment of Minority Youth in the Justice System," published by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency in collaboration with Building Blocks for Youth. The report documents "cumulative disadvantage" at the national level.
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Florida Establishes Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys, Florida, H.B. 21
Tags: Florida | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Legislation
Establishes a systematic study of conditions affecting black men and boys, including analyses on arrest and incarceration rates.
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Reducing Disproportionate Minority Contact in the Juvenile Justice System: Promising Practices, Emily R. Cabaniss, et al., Aggression and Violent Behavior
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports | NJJN Publications
Article reviewing and synthesizing national best practices for successfully reducing DMC in the juvenile justice system including: (a) data review and decision-point mapping; (b) cultural competency training; (c) increasing community-based detention alternatives; (d) removing decision-making subjectivity; (e) reducing barriers to family involvement; and (f) cultivating state leadership to legislate system-level change.
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Racial Disparities in Juvenile Justice: Disproportionate Minority Confinement in Wisconsin, Wisconsin Council on Children and Families
Tags: Wisconsin | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Paper based on interview with Racine County Human Services revealing the efforts in Wisconsin to reduce DMC (only 21% of youth in Wisconsin are minorities, but they represent 63.5% of youth in juvenile justice facilities).
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Kansas Advisory Group to Study Programs to Reduce Bias in System, Kansas, S.B. 47
Tags: Kansas | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Legislation
Requires Kansas to study the effectiveness of juvenile justice programs in reducing racial, geographic, and other biases that may exist in the system.
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Fact Sheet on Crime, Race and Juvenile Justice Policy in Perspective, Justice Policy Institute
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Fact sheet dispelling the myth that youth of color commit more crime than white youth.
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New York Combats Discrimination and Harassment of Youth, New York, A. 6502
Tags: New York | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Institutional Conditions | LGBTQ Youth | Legislation
Prohibits discrimination and harassment against youth by employees in a facility; directs the Office of Child and Family Services to create policies and guidelines to be used in facility training curricula to create an environment free from harassment and discrimination; outlines the responsibilities of the Commissioner to develop model anti-discrimination policies and to create a procedure for reporting incidents of discrimination and harassment; and, provides for the protection of people who report discrimination or harassment.
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Disproportionate Minority Contact Connecticut's Juvenile Justice System, Fernando J. Muniz, Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance
Tags: Connecticut | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Presentation discussing the extent of overrepresentation, levels of disproportionality, and means to address disproportionate minority contact in Connecticut.
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Priming Unconscious Racial Stereotypes About Adolescent Offenders, Sandra Graham and Brian S. Lowery, Law and Human Behavior
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Research
Paper elaborating on attributional approach to racial disparities in the juvenile justice system by incorporating recent insights from social psychology on the content and function of stereotypes. First, the paper argues that the most prevalent stereotypes about African Americans in this culture are negative. Second, it proposes that those stereotypes operate largely at an unconscious level. Third, it suggests that unconscious stereotypes, once activated, influence the attributions that perceivers make about the causes of crime, and those attributions, in turn, predict treatment of juvenile offenders.
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Ethnic and Gender Equity in Missouri Juvenile Court Decisions: Preliminary Findings, National Council on Crime and Delinquency
Tags: Missouri | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Research
Study examining decision points in the juvenile court process and comparing decisions according to the ethnicity and gender of youth. Study is focused on addressing two primary questions: (1) is there disproportionate representation by ethnicity or gender at any decision point in the juvenile court process and (2) if there is disproportionate representation of minorities or females, are there referral or youth characteristics correlated with ethnicity or gender and are contributing to minority and/or female over-representation at a stage of the juvenile court process?
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Disproportionate Minority Contact in Massachusetts: Failures in Assessing and Addressing the Overrepresentation of Minorities in the Massachusetts Juvenile Justice System, Robin Dahlberg, American Civil Liberties Union
Tags: Massachusetts | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Report revealing that, for at least the last ten years, Massachusetts' youth of color have been overrepresented at every decision-making point in the Commonwealth's juvenile justice system. In 1993, youth of color represented approximately 17% of the Commonwealth's juvenile population, 29% of youth arrested, 59% of youth arraigned, and 57% of juveniles committed to secure facilities. In 2002, youth of color represented 23% of the juvenile population, 25% of youth arrested and 63% of juveniles committed to secure facilities.
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The Unique Circumstances of Native American Juveniles Under Federal Supervision, Brenda Donelan, Federal Probation
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Article illustrating the uniqueness of Native American juveniles, specifically, the Sioux Indians of South Dakota, who fall under the jurisdiction of the federal court system and represent the majority of the court’s docket.
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An Assessment of Minority Overrepresentation in Connecticut's Juvenile Justice System, Eliot C. Hartstone and Dorinda M. Richetelli, Spectrum Associates
Tags: Connecticut | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Research
Study detailing the nature and extent of minority overrepresentation in Connecticut's juvenile justice system.
