Disproportionate Minority Contact: An Expanded Examination of how Threat of Violent and Sexual Offending Impacts Court Outcomes

2021 ◽  
pp. 215336872110323
Author(s):  
Rebecca L. Fix ◽  
Amanda M. Fanniff ◽  
Julia L. Kline ◽  
Elizabeth J. Letourneau
Keyword(s):  
Juvenile Justice ◽  
Racial Disparities ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Juvenile Justice System ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Child Pornography ◽  
Racial Threat ◽  
Sexual Offenses ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Violent Offenses

Racial disparities in the U.S. juvenile justice system appear to be attenuated for people with sexual and violent versus drug and property offenses. Existing theories such as the racial threat hypothesis partially explain these racial disparities, but the definition of “threat” could limit our ability to explain juvenile justice outcomes across offense categories. Importantly, research often overlooks the different and unique threats associated with violent and sexual crimes. The present study examined impacts of racial threat and an expanded definition of “threat” associated with violent and sexual crime on (a) preadjudication detention and (b) dispositions of postadjudication confinement. Statewide archival court data were obtained regarding 212,274 male and female adolescents. In the full models, less severe violent (assault vs. homicide) and sexual offenses (indecent exposure and child pornography vs. sexual abuse) were associated with lower use of detention and secure confinement. This impact of specific violent and sexual offenses on court outcomes were observed in models run with Black adolescents and models separated by violent offenses and sexual offenses. Higher rates of county-level homicide prosecutions and White-to-Black unemployment were significantly and positively associated with detention and confinement, respectively. Racial threat and other theories aiming to explain racial disparities should be reexamined and modified to include markers of violent and sexual offense stigma and threat. Further, models testing racial disparities should include an expanded definition of “threat” in selecting indicators. Our suggested modified theory could better elucidate racial disparities in the juvenile justice system and presents important practice implications.

Racial Disparities in the Juvenile Justice System

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrika McCoy ◽  
Emalee Pearson
Keyword(s):  
Juvenile Justice ◽  
Racial Disparities ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Juvenile Justice System ◽  
Youth Of Color ◽  
Impact Reduction ◽  
Decision Points ◽  
Prevention Act ◽  
Emerging Issues ◽  
And Gender

Racial disparities in the juvenile justice system, more commonly known as disproportionate minority contact (DMC), are the overrepresentation, disparity, and disproportionate numbers of youth of color entering and moving deeper into the juvenile justice system. There has been some legislative attention to the issue since the implementation of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (JJDPA) and most recently with attempts in 2017 to reauthorize the Act. Originally focused solely on confinement, it became clear by 1988 there was disproportionality at all decision points in the juvenile justice system, and the focus changed to contact. DMC most commonly is known to impact Black and Hispanic youth, but a closer look reveals how other youth of color are also impacted. Numerous factors have been previously identified that create DMC, but increasingly factors such as zero-tolerance in schools and proactive policing in communities are continuing to negatively impact reduction efforts. Emerging issues indicate the need to consider society’s demographic changes, the criminalization of spaces often occupied by youth of color, and gender differences when creating and implementing strategies to reduce DMC.

scholarly journals A Brief Literature Review of Juvenile Statistics, A Comparative Analysis of Current Racial Differences Within the Criminal Justice System

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip D. Clingan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Juvenile Justice ◽  
Racial Disparities ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Racial Differences ◽  
Racial Disparity ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Juvenile Justice System ◽  
The United States

Youths under 18 years get trapped into the Juvenile Justice System after being suspected of committing a delinquent or criminal act. The United States tops in Juvenile arrests in the world. States like West Virginia, Alaska, Oregon, South Dakota, and Wyoming have the highest number of juveniles. However, an estimated 2.1 million youths under 18 years were arrested in the United States during a single year. This paper aims to address the current racial differences that exist within the criminal justice system. By addressing challenges like youths of color are more likely to be committed than white youths into the juvenile system will assist in curbing racial disparity. Statistics reveal that 42% of youths in the placement holdings are black youths, even though black youths make up for 16% of youths all over the United States. In California alone, African American juveniles take 27.5% while whites take up 15%. Even though the system’s laws contain no racial bias, research shows that discrimination can occur where the system allows criminal justice officials discretion in handling offenders. Black youths take up for 15% of the total number of youths in the USA get they have the highest juvenile detentions of 42%, but it is difficult to deny these records since there is evidence like arrest and imprisonment records to back up this claim. The racial disparities exist from targeting the blacks, arrest, sentencing, imprisonment, and release. These actions promote discrimination among the black youths, and black youths are likely to get significant sentencing compared to whites for the same crimes committed. Different states in the United States have different racial disparities, California and Texas, blacks serve long sentences, unlike the whites. There are various causes of racial disparities like; some black residences are known for crime, and they have huge offence rates, unequal access to resources, judicial decisions, and racial prejudice. After the research, it was evident that racial disparity exists, and it can only be corrected by looking at the root cause of the problem widely, which is discrimination. Race plays a significant role when it comes to juvenile detentions. Youths of color are four times more probable to be detained, unlike white youths. The research designed a method of tracking racial disparities via a hypothetical juvenile jurisdiction criminal justice system. The paper will extensively dive into juvenile population characteristics, juvenile justice system structure, law enforcement, juvenile crime, juveniles in court, juveniles on probation by the state, juveniles in the correction by the state and foreign nations, and an analysis of all the findings. The extensive research will be able to answer all the questions to the problem of racial disparity.

Blind Justice? The Impact of Race on the Juvenile Justice Process

1987 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 224-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Fagan ◽  
Ellen Slaughter ◽  
Eliot Hartstone
Keyword(s):  
Juvenile Justice ◽  
Racial Disparities ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Juvenile Justice System ◽  
Minority Youth ◽  
Family Status ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Justice Process ◽  
Extralegal Factors ◽  
The Impact

The increasing prevalence of minority youth in the juvenile justice system has renewed concerns over racial disparities in juvenile justice processing. Previous research has yielded ambiguous results, with findings complicated by methodological shortcomings, divergent research strategies, and design artifacts. To resolve questions on the extent and source of racial disparities in juvenile justice processing, research is needed on the nature, location, and magnitude of discrimination in the juvenile justice system. This study examines racial disparities in decision making at six points in the juvenile justice process, from apprehension through judicial commitment decisions. Samples of Anglo and minority youth were drawn at each point, controlling for offense severity, other offense characteristics, and extralegal factors in addition to race. The results show racial disparities at each point, with minorities consistently receiving harsher dispositions. Disparities took different forms at various stages of the process, usually for nonserious offenses. Race was a direct, indirect, and interactive influence at various decision points. Disparities were observed at other times only when controlling for other extralegal factors such as family status. The results suggest that the juvenile justice system reflects social and economic disparities endemic in other social domains. The correlates of delinquency in minority and predominantly Anglo populations are similar. Accordingly, base rate differences may be less important than societal reaction in explaining the overrepresentation of minorities in the juvenile justice process. The narrowing of social gaps may also reduce disparate perceptions of minorities in the juvenile justice system, and restore their population balance in delinquent populations.

Influence of Race in the Deep End of the Juvenile Justice System

2020 ◽  
pp. 154120402095846
Author(s):  
Ashlin Oglesby-Neal ◽  
Bryce Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Juvenile Justice ◽  
Racial Disparities ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Juvenile Justice System ◽  
Hispanic Youth ◽  
Community Programs ◽  
Racial Inequalities ◽  
Institutional Misconduct ◽  
Lengths Of Stay

Racial inequalities pervade U.S. justice systems and are the focus of a growing body of research. However, there are fewer studies on racial disparities in juvenile justice settings, particularly on decisions points at the “deep end” of the system after youth have been adjudicated delinquent. The current study examines racial disparities in length of stay, institutional misconduct, and community program placement for youth admitted to the Virginia juvenile justice system from 2012–2017. We find that black youth have significantly longer lengths of stay and more serious institutional misconduct than white youth. Controlling for legal and extralegal factors eliminates the disparity for length of stay, but it remains significant for serious institutional misconduct. In recent years, youth of all races are placed into community programs rather than traditional correctional centers at similar rates. Disparities for Hispanic youth and other races are difficult to distinguish because few are admitted to the system.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document