WISCONSIN
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: Wisconsin
- Wisconsin has an estimated minority youth population of 16%.
- Minority youth account for approximately 23% of total juvenile arrests. In 1998, 42% of juvenile arrests for violent crime involved African-American youth, while African-American youth only make up roughly 8% of the population.
- In 1998, African-American youth comprised approximately 48% of admissions into corrections.
- The referral rate to juvenile court for minority youth was roughly 27% in 1999, nearly 11% higher than the minority youth population of the state.
- A national study of the transfer of youth in adult criminal courts showed that in Milwaukee, 83% of cases filed in adult courts involved minority youth.
Source: Three-Year Comprehensive Plan Juvenile Justice. 2000-2002. Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance 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 Wisconsin's state plan to address disproportionate minority confinement, contact Wisconsin's state juvenile justice specialist:
Kevyn Radcliffe
Juvenile Justice Specialist
Office of Justice Assistance
131 W. Wilson Street
Suite 202
Madison, WI 53702
Phone: (608) 266-7639
Fax: (608) 266-6676
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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...
