NCJ Number
149513
Date Published
1993
Length
88 pages
Annotation
This report presents the findings of a Phase I study to examine the overrepresentation of minority juveniles in Florida's secure detention facilities and in all dispositions available to the juvenile justice system.
Abstract
During the research period, between April 1991 and August 1992, 61,893 school children between the ages of 10 and 17 years were referred to the juvenile justice system. Approximately 50 percent were white, 33 percent black, 10 percent Hispanic, and less than 3 percent Asian-Pacific Islander or Native American. At the State level, black youths were referred to the juvenile justice system at rates disproportionately higher than any other ethnic group, and were overrepresented at every stage of the criminal justice process. When the complainant was white, black youths were more likely to be formally referred than when black complainants lodged charges against white youths. School absence was positively correlated with the total number of referrals in a youth's delinquency record for every ethnic group, except blacks. Higher percentages of black than white students received out-of-school suspension as a school disciplinary action. During Phase II of this effort, policy makers will develop and demonstrate a coordinated network of services for minority students and families at a site chosen on the basis of a high degree of minority overrepresentation. 17 tables and 49 references