DMC Factsheet: Arizona

ARIZONA

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: Arizona

Arizona has an estimated minority youth population of 43%.
In 1997, minority youth accounted for 63% of commitments to public facilities and 56% of secure detention placements.
In 1998, 8,268 (0.6% of Arizona's children) were adjudicated for the first time; White youth accounted for 51% of the first adjudications; Hispanic youth, 35%; African-American, 7%; Native American 6%.
A national study of the transfer of youth to the adult criminal courts showed that in Maricopa County, 60% of cases filed in adult criminal courts involved minority youth, and in Pima County, minority youth accounted for 64% of the cases prosecuted in adult courts.

Sources: Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (1999); Annual Report. Arizona Juvenile Justice Commission (2000); Equitable Treatment of Minority Youth Project Phase I: Assessment of Data Capabilities and Statistical Analysis of Decision-Making Outcomes. Governor's Office for Children (1993); and Youth Crime/Adult Time: Is Justice Served? Building Blocks for Youth (2000).

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 Arizona's state plan to address disproportionate minority confinement, contact Arizona's state juvenile justice specialist:

Vernon Speshock
Juvenile Justice Specialist
Governor's Division for Children
1700 West Washington, Suite 101
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: (602) 542-3404
Fax: (602) 542-4644
Email: pcordova@azgov.state.az.us

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