Daniel Mears
Mark C. Stafford Professor Of Criminology, Florida State University
Key Findings
- There was statistically-significant variation in cases across states for Black and White juvenile offenders at all four stages of processes.
- Differences in Black and White processing at the petition stage for juveniles was greater in Connecticut and Utah than in South Carolina.
- Differences in Black and White processing at the adjudication state for juveniles were greater in Alabama than they were in South Carolina or Utah.
- There were significant differences in the detention stage of processing for Hispanic juveniles compared to their White counterparts across states.
- The disparities between Black and White juvenile offenders were greater in Connecticut and Utah than they were in Alabama and South Carolina.
- The disparities between Hispanic and White juvenile offenders were greater in South Carolina than they were in Alabama and Utah.
- At the state-level, disproportionate minority contact varied significantly across states for juvenile offenders.
- Although there was some racial and ethnic variation in all juvenile processing across states, it was most prominent in the detention state.
Description
In the article, “How Universal Is Disproportionate Minority Contact? An Examination of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice Processing Across Four States,” Mears and his co-authors examine disparities in processing juveniles in the justice system due to their race or ethnicity. The influence of an individual’s race or ethnicity in any stage of the juvenile justice process is called disproportionate minority contact (DMC). In 2017, the DMC data showed that there are more minority youths than White youths at every major point, except in adjudication, and there is variation in DMC for youth detention and commitment among states. To conduct their study, the researchers used data from juvenile courts, demographic information from counties, restricted data from the National Juvenile Court Data Archive (NJCDA) and case-level data from four states (Connecticut, Utah, South Carolina, and Alabama). The results showed there was statistically-significant variation in cases across states for Black and White juvenile offenders at all four stages of processes. Differences in Black and White processing at the petition stage was greater in Connecticut and Utah than in South Carolina. Differences in Black and White processing at the adjudication state were greater in Alabama than they were in South Carolina or Utah. There were significant differences in the detention stage of processing for Hispanic juveniles compared to their White counterparts across states. The disparities between Black and White juvenile offenders were greater in Connecticut and Utah than they were in Alabama and South Carolina. The disparities between Hispanic and White juvenile offenders were greater in South Carolina than they were in Alabama and Utah. At the state-level, DMC varied significantly across states. Although there was some racial and ethnic variation in all juvenile processing across states, it was most prominent in the detention state. In conclusion, the authors note that this study could determine racial and ethnic differences but further research is needed.