NCJ Number
195373
Date Published
September 2000
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This study examined the flow of minority juvenile cases in Vermont, from arrest to adjudication and identified differences between minority youth and other youth processed.
Abstract
This study attempted to examine minority youth and assess disproportionate arrest, adjudication, and confinement for those youth in the state of Vermont. However, assessing disproportionate involvement was difficult in Vermont with their small proportion of minority youth. So, for this study minorities were identified among all juveniles arrested and for those adjudicated in order to document and assess the processing of minority juvenile offenders in Vermont. A flow analysis was conducted to determine the proportion of minority arrests that resulted in a delinquency case or criminal case and a second analysis was conducted to determine the degree minority youth were processed similarly or differently from all youth in delinquency. Study results indicated that minority youth had a disproportionately low arrest rate and a disproportionately low percentage of case filings in court. Minorities accounted for only approximately 44 percent of the charges that could be expected to be filed against them given the population count. The most significant finding discovered concerned differential use of and treatment in diversion for minority youth versus all juveniles. There were almost half as many charges against minorities than against all juveniles that resulted in diversion. However, there was an unsatisfactory completion of diversion by minority male youth. The findings show that minority youth are not presently over-represented in the juvenile justice system in Vermont. Regular monitoring of case processing and disposition factors are recommended given the small but growing minority population in Vermont. Tables