BI Publishes its First Report

EMBARGOED FOR WEEK OF DECEMBER 22, 2008

Tonight, more than 90,000 youth in this nation will sleep somewhere other than their homes, in custody of the juvenile justice system. For Latino youth, the chance of this occurring is more than double that of White youth. For Black youth, the chance is more than five times that of White youth.

United States Department of Justice data reveals such glaring disproportionality is echoed in nearly every state. Disturbingly, these inequities extend far beyond higher rates of confinement for youth of color. Youth of color are also arrested, charged and incarcerated more than White youth for similar conduct, and are disproportionately represented at every decision-making point in the juvenile justice system. Studies show this disadvantage multiplies as they move deeper through the system. Moreover, and perhaps most importantly, youth of color are incarcerated at rates that cannot be explained by crime alone.

But little substantive action has been taken to transform this nationwide crisis of Disproportionate Minority Confinement (DMC) in the two decades since the United States Congress first mandated that States “address” the overrepresentation of youth of color in juvenile justice systems. In fact, the disproportionality of youth of color continues only to worsen.

We at the Burns Institute (BI) believe this 20th anniversary of the mandate is an opportune time to reflect on the legacy of disparities in the juvenile justice system, and to analyze the philosophical and structural barriers that continue to obstruct the reduction of disparities.

Click below to download our report Adoration of the Question: Reflections on the Failure to Reduce Racial & Ethnic Disparities in the Juvenile Justice System. For media inquiries, contact Communications Director Shadi Rahimi at srahimi@burnsinstitute.org.