NCJ Number
243618
Date Published
August 2013
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This paper examines how racial disparities have become engrained in the policies of today's juvenile justice system.
Abstract
This paper from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network examines how racial disparities have become engrained in the policies of today's juvenile justice system. The paper begins with an historical discussion of how children have been treated by society in this country since the time of the early colonists, and how the shift from policies based on religious doctrine to those based on science, empirical evidence, and environmental factors have changed the way children are viewed by society as a whole. Two factors were fundamental to the way that society treated children during this time period: industrialization and urbanization. The paper highlights the differences in treatment for youth of color as compared to White youth, and notes the disparities that continue to exist for justice-involved youth of color. These disparities are a result not only of years of racial segregation, discrimination, and mistreatment, but are also based on the belief that youth of color are culturally predisposed to delinquency in a way that White youth are not. Policies that facilitate these disparities are briefly discussed, as are strategies and solutions for reducing the racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system. References