Ohio’s Strategies to Reduce Disproportionate Minority Contact in the Juvenile Justice System
Ohio Department of Youth Services Parole and Community Services
David Schroot, Deputy DirectorJune 20, 2008
AgendaDMC and the Federal RequirementsFederal DMC ProcessOhio’s DMC InitiativeOhio Rates and DataCuyahoga County’s DMC InitiativeQuestions and Answers
What is DMC
Disproportionate Minority Contact
A condition that exists when minority youth have a rate of contact with law enforcement and the juvenile justice system greater than their proportion in the general population
Federal Requirement The federal Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention requires that states receiving Title II funding address DMC—states must:
“address juvenile delinquency prevention efforts and system improvement efforts designed to reduce, without establishing or requiring numerical standards or quotas, the disproportionate number of juvenile members of minority groups, who come into contact with the juvenile justice system”
Federal DMC Process
IdentificationDMC Decision Points:
Juvenile arrestsReferrals to juvenile courtCases divertedCases involving secure detentionCases petitioned (charge filed)Cases adjudicated delinquentCases resulting in probation placementCases resulting in confinement to secure JCFCases transferred to adult court
Identification and Assessment Since 2004, Ohio has collected data to identify
disparities across the decision points Counties teams are currently conducting
assessments of the data to determine who, what, when, where, and why disparities exist
Ohio’s DMC Initiative The purpose of Ohio’s initiative is to reduce
overrepresentation of minority youth in the juvenile justice system through the development and implementation of a model of community capacity building and systems change to address issues around DMC
The 14 Counties selected to participate in DMC represent 86.91% of the minority youth population ages 10 – 17, in the State of Ohio
Ohio’s DMC Initiative Participating Counties
AllenButlerClark
CuyahogaFranklin
HamiltonLorainLucas
MahoningMontgomery
RichlandStark
SummitTrumbull
Ohio’s DMC Initiative August 2007
Kicked off the first DMC Institute with OSU, CLEX
100+ participants from all 14 counties Overview of DMC Process
September 2007 DYS allocated approximately $700,000 to the
14 counties to begin assessments and for possible interventions
November 2007 Cultural competency Institute conducted by
Michael Lindsey of Nestor Consulting
Ohio’s DMC InitiativeFebruary 2008
Institute on DMC Reduction Strategies Center for Children’s Law and Policy Annie E. Casey Foundation Children’s Home Association of Illinois West Virginia Supreme Court
May 2008 Held an Institute on monitoring and
evaluation Developing logic models Developing outcomes based on assessment results
Ohio’s DMC InitiativeFuture Institutes and Activities
June 27, 2008—Institute on sustaining DMC locally Continuing beyond the State’s DMC Increasing/building community capacity DMC as part of a community strategic plan
September 26, 2008—Counties will participate in a presentation event showcasing their accomplishments
Title II funding earmarked for DMC reduction activities OSU will continue to provide training and technical
assistance (Institutes) in year 2 of the DMC Initiative
Ohio Rates and Data 84.1% of Ohio’s youth population is Caucasian 36.8% of DYS’ population is Caucasian
15.9% of Ohio’s youth population is African American 60.1% of DYS’ population is African American
2.9% of Ohio’s youth population is Hispanic 2.5% of DYS’ population is Hispanic
Ohio Rates and Data Total Admissions to DYS
Comparing 1999 to 2007, admissions are down by 19.2%
Ohio Rates and Data DYS Admissions by Race
Comparing 1999 to 2007, white admissions are down by 40% and non-white admissions are up by 1.2%
Ohio Rates and Data Cuyahoga County Admissions to DYS by Race
Cuyahoga County DMC Cuyahoga County is 28% minority Cleveland City is 57% minority DMC Activities
Juvenile Court has submitted data to identify DMC Law enforcement has submitted arrest data County has formed a team to facilitate DMC process locally Department of Justice Affairs is participating in DMC Initiative Kent State University is conducting an assessment to
determine who, what, when, where, and why Title II funding will be dedicated to DMC reduction activities
Questions and Answers