Race and Juvenile Probation Officer Decision Making in Juvenile Justice

• In Event: Posters I

Abstract

Racial disparities in the juvenile justice system (JJ) have been well documented in the literature. The effects of race have been seen at various decision-making points throughout the system. Furthermore, a number of studies have shown that legal factors alone are unable to account for race differences in JJ processing. Researchers have looked to two theoretical frameworks to explain the factors that influence disproportionate minority contact within the system: (1) differential offending and (2) differential selection/decision-making. Prior research suggests that biased decision-making affects police officers, judges, and attorneys and that race interacts with these biases in negative ways for juveniles; however, few studies have investigated these biases with juvenile probation officers (JPO), and even fewer have examined the impact the decision-maker race has on youth outcomes. The current study will contribute to the literature by looking at the combined effects of youth race and JPO race on JPO disposition recommendations in two states. The data for this study will be collected from Pre-Disposition Reports that contain disposition recommendations including: service and assessment referrals, treatment related out-of-home placements, and community-based probation versus incarceration. Results and implications for practice and future research will be discussed.

Author

• Rachael Perrault, University of Massachusetts Lowell