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Statement of Kwesi Mfume,
President and CEO, NAACP
Contact: NAACP Office of Communications,
410.486-9227
STATEMENT OF
KWESI MFUME
PRESIDENT AND CEO, NAACP
WASHINGTON, DC
April 25, 2000
Kwesi Mfume, President & CEO, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), said a comprehensive new report on the nations juvenile justice system shows that minority youth are treated unfairly at every stage of the. process.
Mfume said: "This report by the Building Blocks for Youth Initiative is the best evidence yet of why state and federal governments and elected officials must immediately address racial disparities in the juvenile justice system. Eradicating discrimination in the juvenile justice system has to become a top priority for state and federal governments, elected officials and the civil rights community.”
The report, “And Justice For Some,” was commissioned by the Building Blocks for Youth initiative, a national project to address unfairness in the juvenile justice system and promote rational and effective justice policies. The report found that when white youth and African American youth were charged with the some offenses, African American youth with no prior admissions were six times more likely to be incarcerated in public facilities than white youth with the same background. Latino youth were three times more likely than white youth to be incarcerated.
The National Council on Crime and Delinquency, the nation's oldest criminal justice think-tank, prepared the report. It is the most complete comparison ever of state and federal data on arrest, referral, detention, case processing, waiver to adult court and incarceration, to build a comprehensive of how the justice system treats juveniles of color.
Among other things, the report disclosed that discrimination in the system results in youth of color being more likely to spend their formative years behind bars.
Other key findings include:
Minority youth are overrepresented in the detained population in 43 of 44 states.
African American youth are more likely to be formally charged in juvenile court than white youth, even when referred for the same offense.
In every offense category, minority youth were more likely than white youth to be placed out-of-home.
Nationally, custody rates were five times greater for African American youth than for white youth. Custody rates for Latino and Native American youth were two times the custody rate of white youth.
NAACP inspection of several juvenile correctional centers around the country found that conditions in facilities with structured programs were much better than those that merely warehouses youth.
The NAACP has been a chief opponent of provisions in legislation that would try more youth as adults and no longer require states to address the problem of disproportionate minority confinement of juveniles. Mfume said, "Those who continue to say there is no proof of discrimination in the justice system should closely read this report."
Founded in 1909, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its half-million adult and youth members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil fights in their communities, conducting voter registration drives and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.
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