Exploring Racial Disparities in Juvenile Justice Processing

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract

This panel includes a series of four papers that have the collective aim of exploring various aspects of disproportionate minority contact in the juvenile justice system, with a special emphasis on moving beyond merely identifying DMC but engaging with a complexity of outcomes and interactions. The first paper presents an examination of contextual moderation of the influence of race on major juvenile court stages across several jurisdictions. The second paper examines individual-level interactions between race and gender in predicting juvenile waiver outcomes. The third and fourth papers emerge out of the evaluation work of the Tow Youth Justice Institute, examining changes to DMC in Connecticut following implementation of several policies aimed at increasing community-based services and reducing the use of pre-trial and post-trial commitment for juvenile referrals.

Sub Unit

• Area IX. Juvenile Crime and the Justice System / 48. Disproportionate Minority Contact

Division of Special Interest

• Divisions of Special Interest / Division on Corrections & Sentencing

Individual Presentations

• Exploring the Context of Disproportionate Minority Contact: Does the Impact of Race Vary across Juvenile Court Stages and Jurisdictions? - Steven N. Zane, Northeastern University

• Understanding the Complexities of Transfer: The Impact of Juvenile Race and Gender on Waiver Decisions - Sara L. Bryson, University of Central Florida; Jennifer H. Peck, University of Central Florida

• Examining Race and Recidivism among Connecticut Youth Formerly in Congregate Care - Sara Jeffries, University of New Haven; Danielle Cooper, University of New Haven; Kendell Coker, University of New Haven

• Investigating Racial Disparity Among Non-committed Juveniles Offenders Using Different Recidivism Time Periods - Sarah J. Giarrusso, University of New Haven; Danielle Cooper, University of New Haven; Kendell Coker, University of New Haven

Chair

• Steven N. Zane, Northeastern University

Discussant

• David L. Myers, University of New Haven