Report on the Delicate Balance to the President, the Congress, and the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

• NCJ Number: 137443
• Author(s): R Gardell; A Button; K Stansell; D Forbes; A L Carlisle; R Fedullo; V Neiberg; M Glaze; J Chase
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 36 pages
• Corporate Author: National Coalition of State Juvenile Justice Advisory Groups
• Sale Source: National Coalition of State Juvenile Justice Advisory Groups
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

The National Coalition of State Juvenile Justice Advisory Groups believes the issue of differential processing of minorities in the juvenile justice system is more than simple prejudice by system participants; rather, the Coalition contends the juvenile justice system is simply a shadow of the larger society which defines and supports it.

Abstract

The issue of differential criminal and juvenile justice rates for minorities is a growing problem. There is general agreement in the literature that minority youth are over- represented at all stages of the juvenile justice system. Minority youth are being incarcerated in public correctional facilities at a rate 3 to 4 times that of whites. Research based on Federal Bureau of Investigation data indicates that black youth are arrested for violent crimes more often than other youth and that this may partially account for their presence in public correctional facilities. Factors that account for the differential processing of minority youth are discussed, particularly differences in socioeconomic status between blacks and whites. The following recommendations are offered: that Congress look into the multiple problems associated with differential incarceration; that small, model youth correctional facilities be created to focus on the circumstances of minorities; that the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) conduct research into police apprehension practices, differential effects of detention decisionmaking on minority youth, and effects of dispositional guidelines and laws mandating penalties for chronic offenders; that the OJJDP take a leadership role in developing training curricula for police, prosecution, courts, and probation officers on ways their personal prejudices about race, gender, class, and ethnicity affect decisions; that the OJJDP identify jurisdictions involved in innovative approaches to juvenile justice and delinquency prevention; and that the OJJDP offer special training to State Juvenile Justice Advisory Groups on ways to coordinate and integrate the use of Federal funds for juvenile justice. 33 references