What are the major reasons for disproportionate minority contact?
Often DMC is presented as being caused either by differential offending (i.e., youthsof color commit more crimes or commit more serious crimes) or differential treatment (i.e., the juvenile justice system treats youth of color differently).
What is disproportionate minority representation?
Disproportionate minority contact (DMC) refers to the disproportionate representation of ethnic, racial and linguistic minority youth in the juvenile court system. Research shows that youth of color are treated more harshly than white youth when charged with the same category of offense, including status offenses.
How does disproportionate minority contact affect the community?
When these youth are confined, their reduced educational and occupational opportunities mean potentially higher crime rates for their community members, less economic output from the youth into the community and a greater likelihood of transmission of criminal behavior to the youth’s eventual children.
What is disproportionate minority confinement?
Disproportionate Minority Confinement: A condition that exists when a racial/ethnic group’s representation in confinement exceeds their representation in the general population. Disparity: Different treatment of individuals who are similarly situated or who have common characteristics.
Why are so many minority youth overrepresented in the juvenile justice system?
Thus, minority youth may be overrepresented within the juvenile justice system because of behavioral and legal factors. In any given jurisdiction, either or both of these causes of disparity may be operating. Detailed data analysis is necessary to build a strong case for one or the other causal scenario.
What is disproportionate confinement?
What are the patterns of minorities in the juvenile justice system?
While non-Hispanic whites comprise 53 percent of the juvenile population, they comprise 33 percent of incarcerated youth. Black youth are 14 percent of all youth, but 40 percent of incarcerated youth. Hispanic youth are 24 percent of all youth and 23 percent of incarcerated youth.
What percentage of juveniles are minorities?
Although minority youth made up 49 percent of the state population aged 10-16, they constituted 66 percent of juveniles referred to court for delinquency offenses, and 73 percent of detained youth.
