DMC Factsheet: Colorado

COLORADO

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: Colorado

Colorado has an estimated minority youth population of 28%.
In 1997, minority youth comprised 56% of commitments to public facilities and 51% of secure detention placements.
Statewide data from 1998/99 indicate that minority youth are disproportionately detained or confined in secure detention and correctional facilities, county jails, and municipal lockups at a rate at least twice their proportion of the state's youth population.
During 1999, Hispanics accounted for 36% of preadjudicated admissions to secure detention while accounting for 17% of the youth population. The percentages respectively for African-American youth are 17% and 5%.

Source: Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (1999); The Evaluation of Colorado's Pilot Site Projects to Address Minority Over Representation. OMNI Institute (2000); and Three-Year Plan and Application. 2000-2002. Division of Criminal Justice.

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

Pat Cervera
Juvenile Justice Specialist
Division of Criminal Justice
700 Kipling, Suite 1000
Denver, CO 80215
Phone: (303) 239-4476
Fax: (303) 239-4491
Email: Patricia.Cervera@cdps.state.co.us

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