Embargoed for Release
Embargoed until: Contact:
12:01 am
July 18, 2002
New Report Exposes Disparities in Treatment of
Latino and Latina Youth In Justice System; System Plagued by Inadequate
Data, Absence of Bi-Lingual Services
(City, State) -- Latino and Latina youth receive
disparate and more punitive treatment than their White peers charged
with the same types of offenses, according to a new report, “¿Dónde
Está la Justicia?” commissioned by the Building Blocks for Youth
Initiative. Available data actually under-count disparities because most
states and the federal government fail to identify Latino youth in data
collection, usually counting them as White.
Latino youth are more likely to be incarcerated
than White youth charged with the same types of offenses. For youth
charged with drug offenses, the incarceration rate for Latino youth was
13 times the rate for White youth. Latino youth charged with violent
offenses were five times as likely to be incarcerated as White youth
similarly charged. According to Human Rights Watch research, Latino
youth are incarcerated at higher rates than Whites in 46 of the 50
states.
The report,“¿Dónde Está la Justicia? A Call
to Action on Behalf of Latino and Latina Youth in the U.S. Justice
System,” was commissioned by the Building Blocks for Youth Initiative,
a national campaign to promote a fair and effective youth justice system
and was prepared by the Institute for Children, Youth and Families at
Michigan State University, in consultation with a number of national and
grassroots Latino groups.
(insert quote from local leader here)
Initial disparities that occur at arrest are
compounded by later disparities, resulting in a “cumulative
disadvantage” for Latino youth. For example, in Los Angeles in
1996-1998, Latino youth were arrested 2.3 times as often as White youth;
prosecuted 2.4 times as often as White youth, and imprisoned 7.3 times
as often as White youth. Consequently, the average length of
incarceration is much longer for Latino youth than White youth, even
when charged with the same offense. Latino youth charged with drug
offenses were incarcerated for more than 5 months longer than White
youth, almost 5 months longer for violent offenses, 1 month longer for
property offenses.
In addition to suffering higher rates of
confinement and longer periods of incarceration, Latino youth face
specific barriers in the justice system. Lack of bilingual and
culturally competent staff can result in harsher treatment, and profound
confusion and frustration for youth and families who speak only Spanish
or who have limited English proficiency. The Immigration and
Naturalization Service incarcerates many Latino youth, often under
punitive conditions, though in most instances they are not charged with
any crime other than being in the United States without proper
documentation. Anti-gang statutes in many states impose dramatically
higher penalties on youth who police or courts believe are gang members,
although such beliefs are often based on stereotypes about Latino youth.
While available data show that Latino youth
receive harsher treatment than White youth, current data collection
methods mask the full magnitude of the problem. Many states and the
federal government ask only one question about race and ethnicity of
youth in the system, and the choices are “White,” “African-American,”
“and “Other” (or “Asian” and “Native American”). When
ethnicity is not an available category, more than 95% of Latinos report
their race as White.
(insert second quote from local leader here)
The study makes several recommendations for
Latino communities, youth and families, law enforcement; advocates;
researchers; public officials and policy-makers; and the juvenile
justice system:
Public officials, policy-makers, and the
justice system should:
