ALABAMA
Disproportionate Minority Confinement
What is Disproportionate Minority Confinement (DMC)? Under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), disproportionate minority confinement (DMC) exists when the proportion of youths detained or confined in secure detention facilities, secure correctional facilities, jails and lockups who are members of minority groups exceed their groups' proportions in the general population.
How widespread is DMC? In virtually every state, at every stage of the juvenile justice system, youth of color are overrepresented and receive disparate treatment, particularly in secure confinement.
State Profile: Alabama
- Alabama has an estimated minority youth population of 34%.
- Data from the Alabama Department of Youth Services shows that minority youth are disproportionately overrepresented in the juvenile justice system.
- African-American males made up approximately 56% of all youth arrests in 1998.
- For calendar year 1998, minority youth accounted for approximately 60% of confinements in secure juvenile detention facilities, 59% of confinements in secure juvenile correctional facilities, 52% of transfers to adult court, and 33% of adult jail confinements.
- A national study of the prosecution of youth in adult courts showed that in Jefferson County (Birmingham), 81% of the cases filed in adult criminal courts involved minority youth.
Source: Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Plan. 2000. Department of Economic and Community Affairs and Youth Crime/Adult Time: Is Justice Served? Building Blocks for Youth (2000).
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What must states do to comply with the DMC mandate? Current law directs states to identify the extent to which disproportionate minority confinement exists, to assess the reason that it exists and to develop intervention strategies to address the causes for disproportionate minority confinement. The law does not require, and has never resulted in, the release of any youths from custody based on race, nor has it required numerical quotas for arrests. No state's funding under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act has ever been reduced as a result of noncompliance with this provision.
Contact Information: To provide comments or obtain additional information on Alabama's state plan to address disproportionate minority confinement, contact Alabama's state juvenile justice specialist:
Donald Lee
Juvenile Justice Specialist
ADECA-LETS Division
401 Adams Avenue, P.O. Box 5690
Montgomery, AL 36103-5690
Phone: (334) 242-5820
Fax: (334) 242-0712
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Building Blocks for Youth
For a fair and effective youth justice system
...a comprehensive effort to protect minority youth in the justice system
and to promote rational and effective juvenile justice policies...
