DMC Factsheet: North Carolina

NORTH CAROLINA

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: North Carolina

North Carolina has an estimated minority youth population of 27%.
From 1999 through 2000, minority youth represented 63% of confinements to secure juvenile detention facilities and 67% of placements in secure juvenile correctional facilities.
A 2000 DMC study shows that minority overrepresentation continues to exist in North Carolina. For instance, the number of counties experiencing minority overrepresentation in detention school admissions has increased from 67 in 1990 to 80 in 1997/98. The number of counties experiencing minority overrepresentation in training school admissions has increased from 61 in 1990 to 72 in 1998.

Source: A Closer Look at Disproportionate Minority Confinement in the North Carolina Juvenile Justice System. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety (2000) and Disproportionate Minority Confinement Index Matrix. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety (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 North Carolina's state plan to address disproportionate minority confinement, contact North Carolina's state juvenile justice specialist:

Donna Robinson
Juvenile Justice Specialist
Governor's Crime Commission
1201 Front Street, Suite 200
Raleigh, NC 27609
Phone: (919) 733-4564
Fax: (919) 733-4625
Email: DONNAR@gcc.dcc.State.nc.us

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