NCJ Number
158893
Date Published
1989
Length
14 pages
Annotation
In the 1988 Reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, Section 223(a)(23) was amended to establish a new requirement that each State's Formula Grant Plan address efforts to reduce the proportion of minority juveniles confined in secure facilities; this report presents guidelines for the implementation of the Formula Grants Regulation (28 CFR 31) pertinent to this requirement.
Abstract
The requirement is divided into two phases. Phase I requires a preliminary determination by the State as to whether there is a problem with the disproportionate confinement of minority youth in secure facilities. This report outlines the minimum documentation a State must provide in Phase I. Information must encompass the total number of all juveniles placed in secure facilities by type of facility, the number of minority juveniles by ethnic or racial group placed in secure facilities by type of facility, the total juvenile population at risk for secure confinement, and the minority juvenile population at risk for secure confinement. A discussion of the interpretation of the data focus on how to determine whether minorities are overrepresented among juveniles in secure facilities. The data analysis presented is the minimum that a State must undertake to determine whether minority youth are disproportionately held in the various types of secure facilities. If Phase I determines that a problem exists in the State, or if the State is unable to collect the necessary data to make the determination, then the State must prepare a Phase II State strategy to address the problems of disproportionate confinement. Phase II requires a more comprehensive assessment of the problem than Phase I. The State strategy for addressing disproportionate minority representation must include but not be limited to seven specified areas. The nature of and documentation required for these seven areas are discussed in the report. This report also advises that if data are not adequate to determine whether minority overrepresentation exists, then efforts must be made to improve the quality of recordkeeping and data collection. The State work plan for addressing the disproportionate representation of minority youth in secure facilities must be submitted to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for approval no later than April 30, 1990. Once approved, the work plan will be a component of the State's fiscal 1990 formula grant plan.