What causes disproportionate minority contact?

Perhaps the most easily understood contributing mechanism to disproportionate minority contact is “differential selection,” the notion that decision-makers in the juvenile justice system (think professionals like police officers, juvenile probation officers and judges) treat youth of color more harshly than European- …

How the media contribute to disproportionate confinement of minority youth?

Studies suggest that such depictions may lead to exaggerated fears, faulty perceptions and punitive processes (i.e., legislative, etc.) which, along with other factors, result in the disproportionate confinement of minority youth in criminal and juvenile justice systems in the United States.

What are the requirements of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974?

To receive funding, states must commit to achieve and maintain compliance with the four core requirements of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act: deinstitutionalization of status offenders, separation of juveniles from adults in secure facilities, removal of juveniles from adult jails and lockups.

What does disproportionate minority contact mean?

The term Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) refers to rates of contact with the juvenile justice system among juveniles of a specific minority group that are significantly different from rates of contact for white non-Hispanic juveniles.

What is disproportionate minority representation?

Disproportionate minority contact (DMC) refers to the disproportionate representation of ethnic, racial and linguistic minority youth in the juvenile court system. Research shows that youth of color are treated more harshly than white youth when charged with the same category of offense, including status offenses.

Why are black youth overrepresented in the juvenile justice system?

The overrepresentation of youth of color in the juvenile justice system originates from systemic inequalities. “There are differences, but none of the differences are big enough to explain the differences in arrests,” Rovner said. He said the disparity gets worse at every step through the juvenile justice system.

What was the major change in the index used by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act that took place in 2002?

The main change made to the JJDPA was the establishment of a new Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Block Grant (JDPBG) program which replaced the various grant programs under Title II.

What is deinstitutionalization of status offenders?

The DSO provision seeks to ensure that status offenders who have not committed a criminal offense are not held in secure juvenile facilities for extended periods of time or in secure adult facilities for any length of time. …

What is minority confinement?

Disproportionate Minority Confinement: A condition that exists when a racial/ethnic group’s representation in confinement exceeds their representation in the general population. Minority: An individual who is of a race other than white or who is of Latino ethnicity, regardless of race.

What are the patterns of minorities in the juvenile justice system?

While non-Hispanic whites comprise 53 percent of the juvenile population, they comprise 33 percent of incarcerated youth. Black youth are 14 percent of all youth, but 40 percent of incarcerated youth. Hispanic youth are 24 percent of all youth and 23 percent of incarcerated youth.

What is differential offending?

Differential offending hypothesis. The differential offending hypothesis considers the possibility that certain racial/ethnic groups violate the law at differential rates. Evidence supporting this hypothesis is found in a variety of sources including research on criminal behavior and driving behavior.

What is a relative rate index?

The Relative Rate Index (RRI) is a helpful way to compare the experiences of different groups of youth within the juvenile justice system. Whenever groups are treated equally – both will have an RRI equal to “1.” This is true even when one group of youth is larger than the other group of youth.

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