NCJ Number
149460
Date Published
1993
Length
171 pages
Annotation
This study sought to address county differences in Washington State in terms of ethnic disproportionality at each stage of the juvenile justice system, case-level circumstances contributing to disproportionality, and interpretations of juvenile justice system officials about the causes of racial and ethnic disproportionality.
Abstract
The results showed that, in 1990, youths of color represented 15 percent of the total youth population in the State. While, in general, youths of color were arrested at disproportionately low rates given their number in the general population, black youths were almost twice as likely to be arrested as whites. Despite their lower arrest rates, youth of color were referred to the juvenile justice system and detained prior to adjudication at substantially higher rates than white youth. They were also less likely to be referred to diversion programs and more likely to be prosecuted than whites. Racial and ethnic disproportionately was most evident in the numbers of youths sentenced to confinement. Characteristics of counties which strongly predicted high rates of disproportionality: the concentration and growth of youth of color in the county, the degree of urbanization, and levels of violent crime and chronic juvenile offending. Recommendations offered here focus on improved procedures for analyzing information on youth in the juvenile justice system, training for law enforcement and juvenile justice system personnel, and revision of the Washington criminal code to implement impartial standards and guidelines. 8 figures, 39 notes, 18 references, and 4 appendixes