DMC Factsheet: Massachusetts

MASSACHUSETTS

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: Massachusetts

Massachusetts has an estimated minority youth population of 22%.
Based on 1993 DMC data, overrepresentation was found to occur from the point of arrest through the point of confinement.
In 1993, African-American and Latino/Hispanic youth were placed in adult lockups at a rate three times as often as their representation in the general population; by contrast, White youth were underrepresented.
In 1997, minority youth accounted for 64% of commitments to public facilities and 60% of secure detention placements.

Source: Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (1999); Disproportionate Minority Confinement (DMC) Analysis: Stage One Final Report. Social Science Research and Evaluation (1995); and Disproportionate Minority Confinement (DMC) Analysis: Stage Two Final Report. Social Science Research and Evaluation (1996).

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

Elizabeth Spinney
Disproportionate Minority Contact Reduction Specialist
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Executive Office of Public Safety
Programs Division
Ten Park Plaza, Suite 3720
Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 617-725-3367
Fax: 617-725-0260
Email: elizabeth.spinney@state.ma.us

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