Disproportionality in the Juvenile Justice System

1
Disproportionality in the Juvenile Justice
System

• DeAngela Milligan
• The National Evaluation Technical Assistance
  Center for the Education of Children and Youth
  Who are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk

2
The Issue

• Even though minority youth only made up 22 of
  the U.S. population in 2004, they accounted for
  48 of the juvenile justice population (based on
  violent crime arrests rate)
• Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) refers
  to the disproportionate number of minority youth
  who come into contact with the juvenile justice
  system.
• DMC gained national attention in 1988 with the
  1988 amendment to the Juvenile Justice and
  Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act of 1974

Source OJJDP Disproportionate Minority Contact
website http//ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/dmc/index.html
3
2004 Racial Composition of the U.S. Juvenile
Population

78 white 17 black 4 Asian/Pacific Islander 1
American Indian
Note Most Hispanics were classified as white
because they are designated as an ethnicity and
not a race.
4
2004 Racial Composition for Juvenile Violent
Crime Arrests
52 for white youth 46 black youth 1 Asian
youth 1 American Indian youth
5
Ratio of Juvenile Custody
October 22, 2003
Source Snyder, Howard N., and Sickmund, Melissa.
2006. Juvenile Offenders and Victims 2006
National Report. Washington, DC U.S. Department
of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
6
General DMC Reduction Strategies
MacArthur Foundations Models for Change
Initiative

• Pennsylvania- Reducing DMC for Hispanic youth and
  Racial Coding Training Booklet
• Illinois- Improving data collecting and reporting
  practices
• Louisiana- Improving DMC data collection,
  developing the capacity to collect and analyze
  DMC data at the state and parish levels
• Washington- Reducing DMC particularly for
  African-Americans and Native Americans

7
General DMC Reduction Strategies
OJJDP DMC Reduction Manual

• Identification. To determine the extent to which
  DMC exists.
• Assessment. To assess the reasons for DMC, if it
  exists.
• Intervention. To develop and implement
  intervention strategies to address these
  identified reasons.
• Evaluation. To evaluate the effectiveness of the
  chosen intervention strategies.
• Monitoring. To note changes in DMC trends and to
  adjust intervention strategies as needed.

8
The DMC Reduction Cycle
Source DMC Guidance. Available at
http//www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/dmc_ta_manual/inde
x.html
9
Education-specific DMC Reduction Strategies
Applying the DMC Reduction STEPS to Title I, Part
D

• Identification. Determine the extent to which DMC
  occurs in your State by calculating the rate of
  disproportionality.
• Assessment. Determine how your State currently
  assesses the educational achievement and academic
  and vocational outcomes of minority youth in the
  JJ system.
• Intervention. Use data to develop and implement
  intervention strategies to address the
  educational attainment of minority youth.
• Evaluation. Evaluate the effectiveness of the
  chosen intervention strategies using effective
  tools and models.
• Monitoring. Monitoring the academic progress of
  each ethnic/racial group compared to their white
  counterparts may improve services

Source DMC Manual. Available at
http//www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/dmc_ta_manual/inde
x.html , revised by NDTAC.
10
Why is DMC important to address?

• The issue exists
• Not knowing the extent of the issue in your state
  may hinder prevention and intervention for
  minority youth
• Knowing the scope of the issue in your state can
  better help you to improve Title I, Part D
  programming and services to minority youth

11
What Next?

• Identify the existence of DMC in your state
• Consider how your state is currently addressing
  the issue
• Consider the causes and strategies for reducing
  DMC
• Evaluate your states reporting and data
  collection practices and how to revise them to
  better assess and serve minority youth receiving
  Part D services
• Collaborate with other states and partners within
  your state, (e.g. State DMC Coordinators or
  Specialist, parents, probation officers,
  education specialist, etc) to implement DMC
  reduction initiatives

12
Resources

• For more information about reducing DMC, go to
• Disproportionate Minority Contact website
  http//ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/dmc/index.html
• Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC)
  Chronology 1988 to Date Available at
  http//ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/dmc/about/chronology.html
• The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
  Prevention (OJJDP) National Disproportionate
  Minority Contact (DMC) Databook
  http//ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/ojstatbb/dmcdb/index.html.
• Building Blocks for Youth http//www.buildingblock
  sforyouth.org
• Annie E. Casey Foundation http//www.aecf.org/
• The W. Haywood Burns Institute for Juvenile
  Justice Fairness and Equity
• www.burnsinstitute.org
• Center for Childrens Law and Policy www.cclp.org
  
• The Juvenile Justice Initiative www.jjustice.org
• NDTAC Guide for Selecting and Using Pre-Post
  Assessments. http//www.neglected-delinquent.org/
  nd/resources/spotlight/spotlight200604a.asp.