Observations on Community Efforts to Reduce Disproportionate Minority Contact

1. Observations on Community Efforts to Reduce Disproportionate Minority Contact Lessons Learned! 5th Annual DMC Resource Center & Minority Youth and Families Initiative Conference Des Moines, Iowa November 30, 2006

2. What Have We Tried? • Studies • Task Forces • DMC Committees • DMC Plans • Funding for Programs • Cultural Diversity Training • Detention Alternatives

3. What Are We Trying Now? • Studies • Task Forces • DMC Committees • DMC Plans • Funding for Programs • Cultural Diversity Training • Detention Alternatives • Targeted & Intentional Efforts to Reduce DMC

4. Avenues for Addressing DMC • Direct Services • Training and Education • Systems Change

5. Common Approaches to Addressing DMC • Direct Services • Prevention • Diversion • Alternatives to Secure Confinement • Advocacy

6. Common Approaches to Addressing DMC • Training and Education • Cultural Awareness/Competency • Law Enforcement • Intake Officers • Probation Officers • Prosecutors • Public Defenders • Judges • Community Awareness • News Articles • Reports • Conferences • Presentations • Public Hearings

7. Common Approaches to Addressing DMC • Systems Change • Cultural • Diversification of system personnel • Policy & Procedure • Screening criteria • Diversion services (eligibility) • Detention admissions • Legislative • Advocacy

8. Common Pitfalls • Communities often get sidetracked by things they have no control over • The sensitivity of “race” keeps people from having open and honest discussions about DMC • Well intentioned programs are funded and implemented and merely widen the net • A full-time problem is approached with a part-time effort

9. Lessons Learned from the Casey JDAI sites: • Without a commitment to juvenile detention reform in general, reducing racial disparities is unlikely • An explicit focus on reducing racial disparities is essential • Reducing racial disparities requires authoritative leadership • Define the problem in terms that can be changed

10. Lessons Learned from the Casey JDAI sites: • Emphasize action, not just discussion or training • Broad, diverse coalitions can facilitate DMC reduction • Individual agencies can make a difference • Keep Police in the work • Data really helps • It IS possible to reduce racial disparities in juvenile detention

11. Reducing DMC Requires Targeted Planning At-Risk Youth Higher Risk/Need Youth Offenders Detention DMC Secure Confinement

12. The Context for DMC Planning Social Conditions SocialPolicies Justice Policies JJ Practices DMC

13. Keys to Reducing DMC • Leadership • Data • Support • Detention Reform • Focus on Reducing Racial Disparity • Risk Assessment/Detention Screening • Dealing with Special Populations

14. Keys to Reducing DMC • Minority Community Involvement/Leadership • Consumer Participation • Problem Solving, not Blame Placing • Take Both a Short and Long View • Define Success and Think about Monitoring and Evaluation from the Beginning • Find Friends – Integration with other Initiatives

15. Defining Success • It’s not enough to just feel good about what we are doing. • What will define success for us? • What do we want to change as a result of our efforts? • Can we really be “successful” unless we reduce DMC?

16. What Have We Learned? • We can improve policies and practices and still not reduce DMC • We can improve cultural awareness and still not reduce DMC • We can have great intentions and still not reduce DMC • We can become overwhelmed by the depth and the scope of DMC

17. What Have We Learned? • Individual organizations can make a difference • Consumers (those most affected) can be a power part of the solution • An explicit focus on reducing racial disparities is essential • The problem must be defined in terms that can be changed • We can reduce DMC