CRIMINAL JUSTICE REVIEW

 

Race Effects in Juvenile Justice Decision-Making: Findings of a Statewide Analysis

 

The study conducted by  and  was intended to address the concern about whether the juvenile justice system operates with a selection bias that differentially disadvantages minority youths.

Methodology

The research paper is divided into two parts. In the first part, the researchers reported the findings of quantitative analyses conducted using official records of cases processed through the juvenile justice system in Florida. In the second part, the researchers supplemented and provided a basis for a more detailed interpretation of the quantitative findings, drawing upon in-depth interviews with system insiders.

First Part

The Data for the quantitative portions of the research paper were gathered from the Client Information System maintained by Florida’s Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.

Second Part

The second part of the study provides a supplement and basis for the interpretation of the quantitative findings. This was done through telephone interviews with randomly selected juvenile justice officials. The sample includes intake supervisors, assistant state’s attorneys assigned to juvenile divisions, public defenders assigned to juvenile divisions, and juvenile court judges from each judicial circuit.

 

 

Findings

The analysis points to clear disadvantages for nonwhites at multiple stages in delinquency case processing. While the magnitude of the race effect varies from stage to stage, there is a consistent pattern of unequal treatment. Nonwhite youths referred for delinquent acts are more likely than comparable white youths to be recommended for petition to court, to be held in pre-adjudicatory detention, to be formally processed in juvenile court, and to receive the most formal or the most restrictive judicial dispositions. For status offense cases, a very different pattern emerges. Whites are slightly more likely to be referred for formal processing than nonwhites. Although there are no significant race differences in status offender outcomes at the judicial disposition stage, when repeat status offenders are referred to delinquency court for contempt, whites are significantly more likely than nonwhites to be incarcerated.

 

The different responses to nonwhites and whites in delinquency versus dependency proceedings may be understood as official manipulation of cultural stereotypes to fit justice system goals. From this vantage point, minorities are disadvantaged in both delinquency and dependency courts.

 

The researchers’ findings show a clear indication of race differentials in justice processing. The quantitative analyses demonstrate appreciable effects of race on delinquency case processing that disadvantaged minority offenders. These findings are consistent with perceptions of juvenile justice officials at all levels of professional involvement.

 

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