CALIFORNIA
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: California
- California has an estimated minority youth population of 59%.
- In 1997, minority youth comprised 81% of commitments to public facilities and 70% of detention placements.
- A 2000 California study found that compared to their respective contributions to California's felony arrest volume, African-American youth are 4.4 times as likely, and Hispanic and Asian youth are 3.8 times as likely to be sentenced to California Youth Authority confinement that are White youth.
- A national study of the transfer of youth to adult criminal courts showed that in Los Angeles, 91% of the cases filed in adult courts involved minority youth.
Source: Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (1999); The Color of Justice. Building Blocks for Youth (2000); 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 California's state plan to address disproportionate minority confinement, contact California's state juvenile justice specialist:
Brigitte Baul
Juvenile Justice Specialist
Office of Criminal Justice Planning
1130 K Street, Suite 300
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 327-8705
Fax: (916) 324-9167
Email: brigette.baul@ocjp.ca.gov
Home /
Juvenile Justice Issues /
State-by-State Info /
Research
Newsroom /
About Us /
BBY Partners /
Contact us
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...
