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¿Dónde Está la Justicia?
A Call to Action on Behalf of
the Latino and
Latina Youth in the U.S Justice System
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Fact Sheet:
Punitive Policies Hit Youth of
Color Hardest
In virtually every state, the great
weight of punitive justice policies falls disproportionately on youth of
color, who are overrepresented and receive disparate treatment at every
stage of the juvenile justice system, particularly in secure
confinement.
These discrepancies are not the result
of young people of different racial groups committing different types of
crimes. A nationwide study found that African-American and Latino youths
are treated more severely than white teenagers charged with comparable
crime at every step of the juvenile justice system. For example, in “And
Justice For Some” by the Building Blocks for Youth initiative, the
study showed that for youths charged with violent offenses, the average
length of incarceration is 193 days for whites, 254 for
African-Americans, and 305 for Latino youth.
The disparities are even more apparent
among various states across the country, especially when particular
states are isolated and highlighted. For example, in Arizona in 1997,
244 white youth were in custody in Maricopa and Pima counties. At the
same time, 975 African-American youths, 515 Latino youths, 215 Native
American youths and 74 Asian youths were incarcerated. In Colorado, the
1997 custody rate for African-American youths was five times the rate
for white youths. For Latino youths, the custody rate was more than 2.5
times the rate for whites; for Native Americans, twice the rate.
Sources:
- Federal Bureau of Investigation,
Uniform Crime Reports for the United States 1999.
- Males, M., and Macallair, D. 2000. Color
of Justice: An analysis of Juvenile Adult Court Transfers in
California. Published by Building Blocks for Youth.
- Porter, G. 2000. Detention in
Delinquency Cases, 1988-1997. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
- Sickmund, M. 2000. Offenders in
Juvenile Court, 1997. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention.
- Snyder, H. 2000. Juvenile Arrests
1999. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention.
- Poe-Yamagata, E., and Jones, M.
2000. And Justice for Some. Oakland, CA: National Council on
Crime and Delinquency.
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