Analysis of Apparent Disparities in the Handling of Black Youth Within Missouri's Juvenile Justice Systems

• NCJ Number: 135935
• Author(s): K L Kempf; S H Decker; R L Bing
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 206 pages
• Grant Number(s): 88-JFC7-0021; 88-CX-0029
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; Missouri Dept of Public Safety; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The objective of this project was to determine if juvenile justice processing decisions in Missouri disproportionately affect black and white youth.

Abstract

The total juvenile population and the percent of black youth were obtained for all juvenile court circuits in Missouri. Eight circuits in which at least 5 percent of juvenile residents were black were selected for inclusion in the study, and seven agreed to participate. Juvenile court referrals for 1987 and 1988 were evaluated by examining court files. Initial study findings indicated a disproportionate number of black youth referred to juvenile courts and overrepresentation of black youth in detention and out-of-home placement facilities. In the metropolitan courts of St. Louis and Jackson County, black youth outnumbered whites at every juncture, but the reverse was true in other circuits. After court urbanization, variables best able to distinguish between juvenile justice processing decisions were race, gender, referral for violence, number of prior referrals, felony, misdemeanor, representation by legal counsel, parent willingness to provide supervision, living with parents, and alcohol abuse problems. In urban courts, referrals for felony offenses were more common for black youth who also had a higher rate of violent offenses than white youth. Black youth were more likely to have co-offenders and make threats but less likely to show remorse. Further, black youth were more likely to live only with their mothers. Parents of black youth were less likely to appear in court and were less able to provide adequate supervision. In rural courts, black youth were no more likely than whites to have felony referrals. Black youth were much less likely than white youth to have alcohol abuse problems, more likely to have parents who did not provide adequate supervision, and less likely to be detained than whites. Recommendations for alleviating disparities and assuring more equitable juvenile justice processing are offered. Appendixes contain the data collection instruments, an overview of the data, and descriptive information by court circuit. References, tables, and figures