Poster #107 - An Examination of Juvenile Transfers: Adultification and Disproportionate Minority Contact

• In Event: Poster Session II (posters 80 – 155)

Abstract

This poster will examine the concept of disproportionate minority contact (DMC) and how it leads to the overrepresentation of minority youth being transferred to the adult criminal court. Prosecutorial, judicial, and law enforcement discretion are likely leading factors that can explain these racial disparities because minority youth face adultification for their delinquency, which is the idea that minorities are more culpable for their actions. Additionally, race and ethnicity are huge predicting factors for minority youth as they are transferred because it leads to harsher sanctions, compared to Whites. This cumulative disadvantage faced by minority youth could be reevaluated through the inconsistency of juvenile transfer laws across the United States. Proposed solutions to reduce disproportionate minority contact and to improve equity in the juvenile justice system, as well as directions for future research, will be discussed.

Authors

• Riley Paige Conner, Purdue University Northwest

• Omeed Ilchi, Purdue University Northwest