April 2006
August 2005
Linked where possible
Witherspoon, E. et al.
(December 2002). Raising Achievement: Closing the Education Gap.
Des Moines, IA: Urban Education Network.
This report provides
recommendations of the Closing the Achievement Gap Study Committee
and District timetables. Data on the achievement gap are presented
and background materials describing strategies for raising achievement
levels of poor and minority students are included.
http://www.uen-ia.org/raisingachivement.pdf
Austin, J., Johnson,
K., & Gregoriou, M. (October 2000). Juveniles in adult
prisons and jails: a national assessment. Washington, DC:
Bureau of Justice Assistance.
This report provides
the most up-to-date data on the growing number of youth in adult
jails and prisons, as of 1998. Among the major findings, a higher
proportion of youth was African-African (55%) in comparison
with the adult offender population (48%). The proportion of
the youthful and adult population with a Hispanic background
was 14 % and 15 %, respectively. Approximately 26 % of the youthful
offenders were White, compared with 35 % of the adult population.
These data suggest the overrepresentation of youth of color
among youth offenders in adult facilities and that youth of
color are being unfairly targeted for incarceration in adult
prisons.
Available online : http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/bja/182503-1.pdf
Bilchik, S. (1999). Minorities in the juvenile justice system.
Juvenile justice: A century of change. In 1999 National Report
Series Juvenile Justice Bulletin. Washington, DC: U.S. Department
of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention.
This focused report
highlights the most critical findings from the Juvenile Offenders
and Victims: 1999 National Report on the overrepresentation
of youth of color in the juvenile justice system. As the latest
statistics show, disproportionate minority representation is
clearly evident at each stage of the juvenile justice system
and becomes more apparent as youth go deeper into the system.
In 1997, youth of color made up about one third of the juvenile
population nationwide but accounted for almost two-thirds of
the population in secure juvenile facilities. The Bulletin notes
that there is substantial evidence of widespread disparity in
juvenile case processing of minority and non-minority youth
and that racial-ethnic differences can occur at all stages of
the process. While the disproportionality has been attributed
to differences in behavior, such an explanation fails to support
the large discrepancy in numbers.
Available online: http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/ojjdp/179007.pdf
Bishop, D., & Frazier, C. (1988). The influence of race in
juvenile justice processing. Journal of Research in Crime and
Delinquency, 25: 242-263.
This three-year study
of youth in Florida's juvenile justice system revealed that
race was found to have both a direct and indirect effect on
juvenile justice processing. The effects of race, age, gender,
offense seriousness, prior record, and prior dispositions were
examined with respect to intake screening decisions, detention
status, referral to court, adjudication, and disposition. Legal
factors (e.g., seriousness of offense and priors) were most
significant, but the effects of race were compounded as juveniles
penetrated deeper into the juvenile justice system.
Devine, P., Coolbaugh, K., & Jenkins, S. (December 1998).
Disproportionate minority confinement: Lessons learned from
five states. Bulletin. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention.
IIn examining the
experiences of the five states participating in the DMC initiative
(Arizona, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, and Oregon), the study
found DMC outcomes varied by state and community. However, the
most important effect was a greater understanding within the
pilot states of the complexity and pervasiveness of DMC and
the development of model programs to address its causes.
Available online: http://www.ncjrs.org/94612.pdf
Hamparian, D., & Leiber, M. (1997). Disproportionate confinement
of minority juveniles in secure facilities: 1996 national report.
Champaign, IL: Community Research Associates, Inc.
This report reveals
that in the majority of States overrepresentation increases
from the point of arrest through other points in the system
to the final point of secure corrections. Among minority groups,
overrepresentation of African-American youth are greater in
most States, particularly at arrest and in confinement, than
they are for any other minority group. In addition to the statewide
DMC data, the report highlights a variety of strategies and
approaches, such as cultural diversity training, community-based
alternatives to secure detention and corrections, and policies
and procedural revisions, that States are using to respond to
DMC. Recommendations for the States emphasize outcome-evaluations
of all DMC activities for its effectiveness in actually reducing
the overrepresentation of youth of color in the juvenile justice
system.
Harms, P. (January 2002).
Detention in Delinquency Cases, 1989-1998. Fact Sheet.
Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice
Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Provides statistical
information about the use of detention in delinquency caseloads
handled by juvenile courts between 1989 and 1998. Specifically,
this OJJDP Fact Sheet examines national trends in the number
of delinquency cases involving detention, the detention population
(both in terms of race and age), and the use of detention by
juvenile courts. Detention caseloads increased 25 percent between
1989 and 1998, and the most dramatic change in the detention
population was the influx of female juveniles charged with person
offenses. The Fact Sheet is based on the forthcoming Report
Juvenile Court Statistics 1998 and includes two figures and
a table.
Available online: http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/ojjdp/fs200201.pdf
Hsia, H.M., & Hamparian, D. (September 1998). Disproportionate
minority confinement: 1997 Update. Bulletin. Washington, DC:
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office
of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
In the report's overview
of the DMC initiative, 39 states have completed the identification
and assessment phases and are implementing the intervention
phase of DMC. Pennsylvania is highlighted for its model approach
to addressing DMC that is systematic, data-driven, and targeted
for raising public awareness, mobilizing support and resources,
and implementing prevention and intervention programs.
Available online from the Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention: http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles/170606.pdf
Juszkiewicz, Jolanta.
(2000). Youth crime/adult time: Is justice served? Washington,
DC: Building Blocks for Youth .
This report by the
Pretrial Services Resource Center showed that 82% of the youth
charged in adult court in 18 of the largest jurisdictions in
the country were youth of color. Nearly two-thirds of all youth
who were detained before trial were held in adult jails, and
one-third of those were held in the general population with
adult inmates. African-American (43%) and Latino (37%) youth
were more likely than White youth (26%) to receive a sentence
of incarceration.
Available online: http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org/ycat
Krisberg, B., Schwartz, I., Fishman, G., Eisikovits, Z., Guttman,
E. & Joe, K. (1987). The incarceration of minority youth.
Crime & Delinquency, 33: 173-205.
A review of national
data on incarcerated minority youth shows increasing numbers
of minority youth in secure facilities, according to this article.
Minority youth are incarcerated in public juvenile correctional
facilities at rates three to four times that of whites. An examination
of FBI data and self-report data indicates that minority youth
are somewhat more likely than white youngsters to be involved
in serious crime, but not to the extent sufficient to explain
the differential incarceration rates. The article suggests the
need for further research and the need for public officials
to begin testing new strategies to reduce the trend of more
minority youth growing up behind bars.
Males, M. & Macallair, D. (January 2000). The color of justice:
An analysis of juvenile adult court transfers in California.
Washington, DC: Building Blocks for Youth.
From the Justice Policy
Institute, this study is the first analysis of racial and ethnic
disparity in the transfer of youth to adult court and sentencing
to California Youth Authority facilities. The study reveals
that youth of color are 8.3 times more likely than white youth
to be sentenced by an adult court to imprisonment in a California
Youth Authority facility.
Available online: http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org/colorofjustice/
Mauer, M. (1999). Race to Incarcerate. New York: New Press.
This race and class-based
analysis of the trends in American criminal justice policy shows
how the war on drugs exercised rigid control over drug treatment
and economic development. Marc Mauer, Assistant Director of
The Sentencing Project, tells the chilling story behind the
unprecedented explosion of African American populations in U.S.
prisons during the last twenty-five years. He explores the intersection
of race and class that underpins current politics and crime
policy. Although primarily an examination of the adult criminal
justice system, the author also discusses juvenile arrest and
incarceration rates.
Poe-Yamagata, E. & Jones, M. (January 2000). And Justice
for Some. Washington, DC: Building Blocks for Youth.
A nationwide study
prepared by National Council on Crime and Delinquency found
that African-American and Hispanic youths are treated more harshly
than their White peers charged with comparable crimes at every
step of the juvenile justice system. African-American youth
with no prior admissions were six times more likely to be incarcerated
than White youth for similar offenses. These results give a
comprehensive overview of the disparate treatment of youth of
color in the justice system, based on the most complete data
on juvenile justice processing.
Available online: http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org/justiceforsome
Nussel, P.A. (2001).
Youth for justice. Bulletin. Washington, DC: U.S. Department
of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention.
Youth for Justice
uses the power of active learning to teach youth practical information
about the law while addressing the risks associated with being
young in America today. This bulletin describes the law-related
education (LRE) initiative recommended for creating a partnership
with youth in addressing their own justice in the juvenile system.
Through a dynamic process, LRE helps young people learn about
the legal system and understand concepts such as justice, freedom,
responsibility, equality, and authority. LRE programs in school,
community, and juvenile detention settings engage kindergarten
through grade 12 youth as partners in the learning process and
equip them to face the daily challenges presented by drugs,
peer pressure, crime, and violence.
Available online: http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/ojjdp/186161.pdf
Pope, C.E., & Feyerherm, W. (July 1995). Minorities and the
Juvenile Justice System: Research Summary. Washington DC: U.S.
Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Based on a comprehensive
research literature analysis on the effects of race on juvenile
justice processing, this report shows substantial evidence that
race plays a direct and indirect role in the outcome of many
juvenile justice decisions. Whether the disparity exists at
any point in the juvenile justice system or at some stages and
not at others, race effects are clearly pronounced in the juvenile
justice system.
Available online: http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles/minor.pdf
Roscoe, M., & Morton, R. (April 1994). Disproportionate
minority confinement. Fact Sheet Number 11. Washington, DC:
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
This fact sheet shows
that youth of color are overrepresented at various points in
the juvenile justice system. Youth of color are disproportionately
represented from arrest to incarceration. In 1992, African-American
youth accounted for 49% of the arrests for violent crimes. In
1991, 43% of youth in detention centers were African-American,
35% were White, and 19% were Hispanic.
Available online: http://www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles/fs-9411.txt
Additional Publications
Resources at the DMCRC
Snyder, H.N. & Sickmund, M. (1999). Juvenile Offenders
and Victims: 1999 National Report. Pittsburgh: National Center
for Juvenile Justice.
This sequel report,
to the landmark publication Juvenile Offenders and Victims:
A National Report (1995), includes statistical information on:
juvenile population characteristics; juvenile victims; juvenile
offenders; juvenile justice system structure and process; law
enforcement and juvenile crime; juvenile courts and juvenile
crime; and juveniles in correction facilities.
Available online: http://www.ncjrs.org/html/ojjdp/nationalreport99/toc.html
Ziedenberg, J. (April
2000). Drugs and disparity: The racial impact of Illinois'
practice of transferring young drug offenders to adult court.
Washington, DC: Building Blocks for Youth.
The study analyzed
data from state criminal justice agencies in Illinois and national
corrections databases. It concludes that Illinois' practice
of automatically sending 15 and a 16-year-old youth charged
with drug crimes to adult court has produced one of the most
racially disparate outcomes in the nation. Of the 259 youth
automatically transferred to adult court from Cook County last
year, only one was White. Over 99% of the Cook County youth
automatically transferred to the adult court for drug crimes
were non-White.
Available online: http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org/illinois
Adams, M., Bell, L.,
& Griffin, P. (Eds.). (1997). Teaching for Diversity and Social
Justice: A Sourcebook for Teachers and Trainers. New York: Routledge.
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Task Force
of Juvenile Justice Reform. (October 2001). Recommendations for
juvenile justice reform. Washington DC: American Academy of Child
and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Available online:http://www.aacap.org/legislation/articles/everything6.PDF
Caliber Associates.
(1996). Evaluation of the disproportionate minority confinement
initiative: Iowa final report. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Available online:http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles/dmc-io.pdf
Caliber
Associates. (1996). Evaluation of the disproportionate minority
confinement initiative: Oregon final report. Washington, DC: Office
of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Caliber
Associates. (1996). Evaluation of the disproportionate minority
confinement initiative: North Carolina final report. Washington,
DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Caliber
Associates. (1996). Evaluation of the disproportionate minority
confinement initiative: Florida final report. Washington, DC:
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Caliber
Associates. (1996). Evaluation of the disproportionate minority
confinement initiative: Arizona final report. Washington, DC:
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Disproportionate Minority
Confinement Technical Assistance Manual, 2nd Edition. (April 2000).
Community Research Associates, Development Associates, & Development
Services Group, Inc.
Available online: http://www.ncjrs.org/html/ojjdp/dmc_ta_manual/
Hsia, H.M. & Beyer,
M. (March 2000). System change through state challenge activities:
Approaches and products. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice,
Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention.
Available online: http://www.ncjrs.org/html/ojjdp/jjbul2000_03_3/contents.html
Iowa comprehensive strategy
for serious, violent, and chronic juvenile offenders: 1999-2000
report. (September 1999). Des Moines, IA: Division of Criminal
and Juvenile Justice Planning. Iowa Department of Human Rights.
Justice Policy Institute. (January 2002). Reducing disproportionate
minority confinement: The Multnomah County, Oregon success story
and its implications. Washington DC: Center on Juvenile and Criminal
Justice.
Available online: http://www.cjcj.org/portland/portland_web.html
Leadership Conference
on Civil Rights and Leadership Conference Education Fund. Justice
on trial: Racial disparities in the American criminal justice
system. (May 2000). Washington DC: Leadership Conference on Civil
Rights and Leadership Conference Education Fund. [Not Available]
Leiber, M.J. (2002).
Disproportionate minority confinement (DMC) of Youth: An analysis
of state and federal efforts to address the issue. Crime &
Delinquency, 48: 3-45.
Martin, M. (January
2002). Assessment of over-representation of Native American youth
in the juvenile justice system. Bismarck, ND: The North Dakota
Division of Juvenile Service. North Dakota Juvenile Justice State
Advisory Group.
Available online: see links to reports in bar on left.
Musel, S. (1999). Juvenile
crime and the welfare of youth. Des Moines, IA: Division of Criminal
and Juvenile Justice Planning. Iowa Department of Human Rights.
Available online:
http://www.state.ia.us/government/dhr/cjjp/pdfs/JuvenileRpt99.pdf
Office of Juvenile Justice
Delinquency Prevention. (2000). Race, ethnicity, and serious and
violent juvenile offending. Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency
Prevention Juvenile Justice Bulletin. Washington, DC: Office of
Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention.
Available online: http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/ojjdp/181202.pdf
Other
Publications
Kempf, L. , K., Pope, C.E. &, Feyerherm, W.H. (Eds.).
(1995). Minorities in juvenile justice. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage.
Feyerherm, W. (1993).
The status of the states: A review of state materials regarding
overrepresentation of minority youth in the juvenile justice system.
Portland, OR: Portland State University.
Feyerherm, William H.
(2000). Detention reform and overrepresentation: A successful
synergy. Corrections Management Quarterly, 4, 44-51.
Pope, C.E., & Feyerherm,
W. (1992). Minorities and the juvenile justice system:
Full report. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention.
Pope, C.E., & Feyerherm,
W. (1990). Minority status and juvenile justice processing.
Parts I and II. Criminal Justice Abstracts, 22 (2):327-336
(part I); 22(3): 527-542 (part II).
