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Race/ethnicity and the juvenile justice process:
Exploring the over-representation of Latino youth in California’s juvenile
justice system
Enrique Ruacho
May 16, 2009
Advisor: Dr. Elliot Currie
Outline
Introduction Statement of the Problem Research Questions Literature Review Methods Findings Conclusion Acknowledgements
Introduction
Who forms the juvenile justice system?– Police, probation, and judicial officers– Public defenders, prosecutors, and
community advocates
What does it do?– Public safety– Treat and rehabilitate youth
Introduction Disproportionate Minority Contact
(DMC)
Relative Rate Index (RRI)– Compares minority youth to White
youth at various stages
Research Questions
Does the juvenile justice system in California operate with a bias that differentially disadvantages Latino youth?
How does that bias manifest and operate at different stages of the justice system?
How might this system be changed?
Literature Review
Research shows that minority youth are more likely to be…– Apprehended and arrested– Detained before trial– Receive a disposition at trial
Source: (Armstrong & Rodriguez, 2005; Brown Ray & Alarid, 2004; Leiber & Fox, 2005; Leiber & Johnson, 2008; MacDonald, 2003; Secret & Johnson, 1997; Tittle & Curran, 1988)
Literature Review
Gap: Focuses on White youth and African-American/minority/non-white youth
Gap: Research overwhelmingly uses a quantitative model of analysis– Exception: Conley, 1994
Methods
Site: Los Angeles County Participants:
– Police, probation, and judicial officers, public defenders, prosecutors, and community advocates
Sample size: N=9
Methods
Sampling strategy– Publicly available contact info– Social networks
Data collection procedures– Government reporting systems– Interviews between 45 min. to 1 hour– January to April 2009
Findings
Dual Roles and Narrow Tasks Decentralized network of justice officials Narrow tasks Lack of a holistic perspective
Findings
Dual Role and Narrow Tasks Public Defender: “… what I try to do is defend
my clients… make sure that they have good legal representation, and make sure that all their constitutional rights are being protected.” (March 2009)
Findings
Dual Roles and Narrow Tasks Focus is on youth conduct, rather than
contributing factors
Judicial Officer 1: “I mean there’s just a bunch of reasons… the system has to deal with the conduct” (January 2009).
Findings
Systematic Discrimination Latino youth face severe adversities
Bias: Sociological perspective vs. Legal elements
Findings
Rehabilitation: An Arduous Task Not a shared goal Lack of resources
Community Advocate: “…it’s really difficult for organizations like us… I need 20 case managers. I need more resources” (February 2009).
Conclusion
Policy recommendations– How to reduce bias through policies?– Juvenile justice reform
Future research– Issues of juvenile delinquency and violence
in the educational system