What Advocates and Grassroots
Organizers Can Do
Here are a few ideas for Advocates and
Grassroots Organizers to take action now to eliminate the disparate
treatment of Latino and Latina youth in the justice system:
Develop informational materials
Create users’ guides and directories for
individuals and groups working on issues of disproportionate
representation and disparate treatment of Latino and Latina youth in the
justice system.
Raise community awareness
Implement public education and media strategies
to raise awareness of the issues discussed in this report. Include
public service announcements (PSAs), web sites, and fact sheets. Speak
out on radio and television programs.
Outreach and organize coalitions
Organize coalitions of advocacy groups
nationally for the purpose of educating one another, sharing successful
strategies, and collaborating on national campaigns.
Hold public meetings
Organize town hall meetings for legislators and
other interested citizens that provide information on the problems
associated with Latino and Latina youth in the justice system.
Call on federal, state and local public
officials to:
- Require state justice system agencies, the
Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies within the U.S.
Department of Justice to keep accurate crime and court-related
statistics regarding Latinos and Latinas, fully accounting for
ethnic and racial distinctions in all information released by the
agencies;
- Increase funding to ensure that law
enforcement, justice system, education, and mental health
professionals are adequately trained in the Spanish language and in
cultural competence regarding specific Latino and Latina ethnic
groups;
- Conduct more monitoring and oversight of INS
practices by human rights organizations and governmental agencies;
- Ensure that constitutional due process
applies to all youth, regardless of gang affiliation;
- Eliminate gang databases and “gang-injunction
zones,” which make certain areas off limits to youth who police
believe are gang members;
- Significantly increase funding for decaying
schools in urban centers, after-school youth programs and jobs to
create more options for youth in their communities.
Call on justice system personnel to:
- Ensure that those impacted by the system
(e.g., youth who have been in the system and their families) are
included as integral parts of training programs for system
personnel;
- Have certified interpreters available in all
judicial proceedings involving Spanish-speaking or limited English
proficiency (LEP) youth.
