Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Obstruction of Justice Charges

• In Event: The Role of Race/Ethnicity in Juvenile Justice

Abstract

In the United States, the juvenile courts processed almost one million delinquency cases during 2014 (Hockenberry, 2017). Resisting arrest can have a number of implications for both juveniles and adults, including serious injury or even death (Whichard, 2016). Although some research has examined the reasons why individuals resist arrest, the extent to which juveniles participate and are charged with resisting arrest or obstruction is less clear. This study uses juvenile arrest data from Florida and explores the extent to which juveniles are charged with obstruction or resisting arrest, with a special emphasis on differences by race, gender and ethnicity. Implications for theory, policy and subsequent research will be discussed.

Author

• Mark A. Greenwald, Florida State University