NCJ Number
229153
Editor(s)
Shadi Rahimi
Date Published
2009
Length
29 pages
Annotation
This report explores local obstacles to achieving measurable reductions in racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system, and an approach to reform.
Abstract
More than a century after the earliest juvenile justice system was established, juvenile justice practitioners and communities of color continue to be confronted with the inequitable and unjust treatment of youth of color and poor youth in trouble with the law. In a previous publication, the first in a series that embarked upon comprehensively addressing all aspects of reducing disparities in the juvenile justice system, the deep historical roots that manifest today in widespread and persistent inequities for youth of color and poor youth in the juvenile justice system were explored. This report continues the examination as introduced in the first of the series with an overview of the lack of accountability in local jurisdictions, followed by an examination of the structural ecology of juvenile justice as impacted by politics, geography, gangs, immigration status, and an over reliance on detention. The report concludes with a discussion of a model for reform, which includes jurisdictional assessment, forming a governing collaborative, establishing consistent meetings, developing a work plan, data collection and decision point analysis, defining success and purpose of detention, objective decisionmaking, examining case processing issues, and creating alternatives to detention. The model of reform will be illustrated in a case study in the third report of the series. Tables