Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Juvenile Justice System

1. Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Juvenile Justice System Dana Shoenberg Senior Staff Attorney Center for Children’s Law and Policy

2. Current Juvenile Justice Disparities • Youth of color are disproportionately represented in juvenile justice systems across the country… and the rates of overrepresentation increase as youth go through the system. • Youth of color are one third of the U.S. youth population but two thirds of the youth in detention and secure placement.

3. Juvenile Justice Disparities in the United States: Detention • Compared to White youth: • Black youth are 5.3 times more likely to be detained • Hispanic/Latino youth are more than twice as likely to be detained. • Native American youth are 3.5 times as likely to be detained. Source: Sickmund, Melissa, Sladky, T.J., and Kang, Wei. (2008) "Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement Databook." Online. Available: http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/ojstatbb/cjrp/

4. Issues in Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the JJ System • Federal law merely requires that states “address” disproportionate minority contact (DMC) • States’ data systems are often unable to identify Hispanic/Latino families or cannot disaggregate race and ethnicity • Many more youth could be served in community-based settings without harm to public safety, but multi-system collaboration needed to achieve reform • Increased involvement of parents, youth, community organizations and service providers is needed

5. Examples of Strategies • Data Collection and Analysis • Detention Screening Instruments • Diversion • Cultural Competence and Responsiveness • Pre-Adjudication Alternatives to Secure Detention • Post-Disposition Alternatives to Incarceration

6. Mental Health and Juvenile Justice • Between 50 and 75% of incarcerated youth have diagnosable mental health needs. • 33.4% of incarcerated youth have an identified special education disability, compared to roughly 10% of the general education population. • In one study, among juvenile detainees who had major mental health impairments and associated functional impairments, only 15.4% of those youth received any treatment while in the juvenile detention center, and only 8.1% received treatment in the community by the time of disposition or within 6 months, whichever came first. • Systems must identify youths’ mental health needs earlier and connect them with services to prevent deeper involvement in the juvenile justice system.

7. Cross-System Collaborative Projects Involving Reduction of Racial and Ethnic Disparities • W. Haywood Burns Institute: • site-based work with jurisdictions to reduce disparities • Community Justice Network for Youth, supporting community-based organizations serving youth of color • John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change Initiative and DMC Action Network • Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative

8. Contact Information Dana Shoenberg, Senior Staff Attorney Center for Children’s Law and Policy 202-637-0377 x107 dshoenberg@cclp.org