Discuss the problem of minority overrepresentation in the juvenile justice system.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Minority youths are overrepresented in the juvenile system and receive inequitable treatment. Minority youths are less likely than whites to be diverted from the court system into informal sanctions and are more likely to receive sentences involving incarceration. Nationally, the ratio of black custody to white custody is 1.2 to 1. According to a report by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, African American youths are 14 percent of the adolescent population in the United States but are 40 percent of the youths confined in local detention and state correctional systems. They were overrepresented in all offense categories. Youths of color also make up the majority of young people held in both public and private facilities and are a much larger proportion of the young in public facilities than in private facilities. Nationwide, youths of color are overrepresented in the detained population at 3.1 times the rate of white youths, among commitments to public facilities at 2.9 times the rate of white youths, and among private commitments 2 times the rate of white youths.