MISSOURI
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: Missouri
- Missouri has an estimated minority youth population of 17%.
- Statewide 1999 data show minority youth comprised 28% of arrests; 40% of confinements in secure juvenile detention facilities; 28% of confinements in secure juvenile correctional facilities; 14% of confinements in adult jails; and 49% of confinements in adult lockups.
- In comparison of African-American, Hispanics, and Asian/Pacific Islanders in secure confinement in 1999, African-American youth were most overrepresented with 39% confinements in secure juvenile detention facilities; 27% of confinements in secure juvenile correctional facilities; 14% of confinements in adult jails; and 48% of confinements in adult lockups. Their proportion in the youth population was 14%.
- A national study of the transfer of youth to adult criminal courts showed that in St. Louis, 60% of cases filed in adult courts involved a minority youth.
Source: Disproportionate Minority Confinement Phase I Index Matrix. 2000. Missouri Juvenile Justice Association 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 Missouri's state plan to address disproportionate minority confinement, contact Missouri's state juvenile justice specialist:
Sandy Rempe
Juvenile Justice Specialist
Missouri Department of Public Safety
Truman State Office Building
P.O. Box 749
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0749
Office: (573) 751-4905
Fax: (573) 751-5399
Email: srempe@mail.state.mo.us
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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...
