A Case-Control Study of Placement in Secure Juvenile Facilities and its Relationship to Race and Legally-Relevant Factors

• In Event: Race, Ethnicity and Juvenile Punishment Outcomes

Abstract

Research on Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) is currently at an impasse as researchers continue to focus on the debate between potential explanations for DMC (i.e., differential selection vs. differential involvement). Scholars argue that there is a need for empirical tests that follow youth over time from their initial contact with the police through their experiences with the juvenile court system. This paper seeks to address this limitation by conducting a case-control study to assess the relative risk associated with placement in a secure-confinement facility. This study uses merged record data obtained from police, court, and juvenile placement facilities in one Midwestern state. Youth were selected based on whether they were placed at a secure facility (i.e., “case” group) or not placed (i.e., control group). Youth in the control group were matched to those in the “case” group based on key sociodemographic characteristics. The analysis examines the relationships of sociodemographic characteristics, legally-relevant factors, and court experiences with placement in a secure facility. The discussion will center on what factors from prior stages in the juvenile system contribute to the actual risk of being sent to a secure-confinement facility and consider how race factors into placement at a facility.

Authors

• Derek John Mueller, University of Cincinnati

• Christopher Sullivan, University of Cincinnati