And Justice for Some

And Justice for Some, Page 3

Juvenile Corrections

1. The National Perspective
A 1999 study from OJJDP 12 reported that on October 29, 1997 there were 105,790 youth in juvenile detention facilities prior to adjudication or committed to state juvenile correctional facilities following adjudication. Minority youth represented almost two-thirds (63%) of detained or committed youth although they represent only about one-third (34%) of the total adolescent population in the country (Table 9).

Table 9: Percent of Juveniles in Population and in Residential Placement, 1997
Race/Ethnicity	In Population in 1997	Residential Placement October 29, 1997
Total	100%	100%
White	66	37
Minority	34	63
African American	15	40
Latino	15	18
Native American	1	2
Asian	4	2
Note: Details may not add to totals due to rounding. Source: Adapted from Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (1999).

Minority youth were overrepresented in residential placement for all offense types. In fact, minority youth were at least one-half of all youth in residential placement among each of the major offense categories (Figure 11). Further, with the exception of status offenses, African American youth were almost 1/3 or more of all youth in residential placement among each of the major offense categories (Table 10).

Table 10: Racial Proportions of Juveniles in Residential Placement on October 29, 1997 by Offense Type
Most Serious Offense	Total	White	African American	Latino	Native American	Asian
Total juveniles in residential placement	100%	37%	40%	18%	2%	2%
Person	100%	31	43	21	1	3
Property	100%	43	35	17	2	2
Drug	100%	23	56	19	1	1
Public Order	100%	38	38	20	2	2
Technical Violation	100%	40	37	19	2	1
Violent Crime Index*	100%	27	45	23	1	3
Property Crime Index**	100%	43	35	17	2	2
Status Offense	100%	59	30	7	2	1
Note: Details may not add to totals due to rounding. Race proportions do not include persons of Hispanic ethnicity. * Includes criminal homicide, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. ** Includes burglary, theft, auto theft, and arson. Source: Adapted from Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (1999).

Public juvenile facilities are typically locked local detention facilities or locked state correctional institutions. Private juvenile facilities are often less restrictive and less prison-like. Minorities represented a greater proportion of youth in public (66%) than private (54%) facilities, and the minority proportion of youth in public facilities was almost twice the White proportion (66% vs. 34%). Among Latinos, the proportion of detained and committed youth in public facilities was almost double the proportion in private facilities (21% vs. 11%) (Figure 12).

While most youth confined by both locked and staff-secured arrangements were minorities, the minority proportion of youth confined by locked doors exceeded the proportion staff secured (66% vs. 54%) (Table 11). In fact, the number of minority youth held behind locked doors was almost twice the number of White youth similarly confined (66% vs. 34%).

Table 11: Percent of Youth in Residential Placement on October 29, 1997
	Percent of Juveniles
Race/Ethnicity	Locked	Staff-Secured
Total	100%	100%
White	34	46
Minority	66	54
African American	42	34
Latino	20	15
Native American	1	2
Asian	2	2
Note: Details may not add to totals due to rounding. Source: Adapted from Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (1999).

Admission rates to state public facilities were much higher for African American youth and Latino youth with no prior admissions than for comparable White youth. This was also true for youth with one-to-two prior admissions, in all offense categories.

Overall, the admissions rate to state public facilities for youth with no prior admissions was six times higher for African American than White youth (373 and 59) and 3 times higher among Latino than White youth (166 and 59) in 1993 (Figure 13). Among youth with one-to-two prior admissions, the overall admissions rate for African American youth exceeded the White rate by a factor of 7 (96 and 14) and the admissions rate for Latino youth was twice the rate of White youth (28 and 14).

In 1993, Latino youth were in custody on average 112 days more than White youth. African American youth were in custody on average 61 days more than White youth. While the average lengths of stay in public facilities were higher for minority youth than White youth across all offenses, it was particularly dramatic for drug offenses. On average, the length of stay for Latino youth admitted for a drug offense was double the length of stay of White youth (306 days vs. 144 days) (Figure 14). Similarly, African American youth admitted for a drug offense were held longer than White youth, on average (235 days vs. 144).

In addition, the range in the length of stay above the median was also greater for non-Whites than Whites. 13 For example, among the top 25th percentile of cases involving a violent offense and no prior admissions, the length of stay for Latino youth ranged from 625 to over 1,400 days compared to between 400 and 900 days for White youth. Among the top 25th percentile of cases involving a drug offense and no prior admissions, the length of stay for Latino youth was between 500 and 1,100 days compared to between 200 and 400 days for White youth.

2. The State Perspective

In 1997, although they represented just 34% of the U.S. adolescent population, minority youth represented 62% of youth in detention, 67% of youth committed to public facilities, and 54% of youth committed to private facilities.

According to the 1999 OJJDP report, minorities were overrepresented nationwide as a proportion of youth in residential facilities regardless of placement type. In 1997, although they represented just 34% of the U.S. adolescent population, minority youth represented 62% of youth in detention, 67% of youth committed to public facilities, and 54% of youth committed to private facilities. An index of minority overrepresentation can be developed by dividing the proportion of minorities in placement by the proportion of minorities in the juvenile population. 14 A resulting index value of over 1.0 indicates minority overrepresentation.

This pattern of overrepresentation is clearly seen among each of the placement types in most states as well (Table 12).

Table 12: Indices of Representation of Minority Youth in Custody, 1997
Index Value**				Index Value**
	Committed				Committed
State*	Detained	Public	Private	State*	Detained	Public	Private
US Total	1.8	2.0	1.6	Missouri	3.6	2.2	1.9
Alabama	1.7	2.0	1.7	Montana	—	2.2	1.5
Alaska	1.6	1.3	1.9	Nebraska	3.1	2.9	3.2
Arizona	1.3	1.5	1.0	Nevada	1.1	1.4	—
Arkansas	2.7	2.5	2.2	New Hampshire	—	3.0	3.0
California	1.2	1.4	1.2	New Jersey	2.1	2.4	—
Colorado	1.8	2.0	2.0	New Mexico	1.3	1.3	—
Connecticut	3.0	3.2	2.3	New York	2.0	2.1	1.2
Delaware	2.5	2.4	2.5	North Carolina	1.8	2.1	0.8
DC	1.1	1.1	—	North Dakota	2.8	—	2.6
Florida	1.6	1.5	1.6	Ohio	2.8	2.7	2.1
Georgia	1.8	1.8	1.7	Oklahoma	2.3	1.9	2.0
Hawaii	—	1.2	—	Oregon	1.4	1.8	1.8
Idaho	0.3	1.9	0.9	Pennsylvania	2.8	3.5	3.7
Illinois	2.2	1.9	1.4	Rhode Island	2.7	3.5	2.1
Indiana	2.7	2.9	2.2	South Carolina	1.7	1.7	1.5
Iowa	3.9	6.0	3.3	South Dakota	2.7	2.5	—
Kansas	2.9	3.1	1.9	Tennessee	2.1	2.2	2.2
Kentucky	3.5	3.6	2.2	Texas	1.5	1.5	1.4
Louisiana	1.7	1.8	1.7	Utah	2.3	2.8	2.8
Maine	2.3	1.7	—	Vermont	—	—	—
Maryland	1.8	1.7	1.9	Virginia	2.1	2.0	2.0
Mass.	2.7	2.9	2.7	Washington	2.0	2.0	2.1
Michigan	2.7	2.4	2.5	West Virginia	5.2	5.6	5.4
Minnesota	4.9	3.8	3.5	Wisconsin	2.4	4.0	2.6
Mississippi	1.3	1.5	—	Wyoming	—	2.3	1.3
* State where the offense occurred. ** % of minority youth in residential placement / % of minority youth in general population. The youth population is the number of youth ages 0-17. — Too few youth in category to calculate a reliable percentage. Note: U.S. total includes 3,401 youth in private facilities for whom state of offense was not reported. Minorities include African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asians, and Pacific Islanders. Source: Adapted from Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report.Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. (1999)

Index values for detained placements of over 5.0 were found in West Virginia and between 3.0 and 5.0 in Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska. Index values for public commitments of over 5.0 were found in Iowa and West Virginia and values of between 3.0 and 5.0 in Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. For private commitments values of over 5.0 were found in West Virginia and between 3.0 and 5.0 in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania.

Among states with the highest number of Latino youth in the general population--Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas--minority youth were overrepresented in both detained and committed populations (Figure 15). The index values for detained youth in custody ranged from 1.2 to 1.5 while commitments to public facilities ranged from 1.3 to 1.5.

Nationally, 204 White youth were in residential placement on October 29, 1997 for every 100,000 youth in the population compared to 1,018 African American youth, 515 Latino youth, 525 Native American youth, and 203 Asian youth (Figure 16).

The most notable differences between the custody rate of White youth and others are seen in Connecticut and New Jersey where custody rates of African American youth are 14 times the rates of White youth in those states (Table 13). In Minnesota, the custody rate of both African American and Native American youth are 11 times the custody rate of White youth in that state.

Table 13: Residential Custody Rates by Race and State, 1997
	Custody rate (per 100,000)						Custody rate (per 100,000)
State*	White	African Amer.	Latino	Native American	Asian	State*	White	African Amer.	Latino	Native American	Asian
US Total	204	1,018	515	525	203	Missouri	168	741	241	43	69
Alabama	202	650	285	130	96	Montana	221	—	768	524	—
Alaska	289	1,055	372	734	352	Nebraska	234	1,754	716	1,417	177
Arizona	244	975	515	214	74	Nevada	382	942	448	1,250	297
Arkansas	106	566	111	0	45	New Hampshire	143	—	479	0	266
California	299	1,819	654	548	268	New Jersey	71	1,007	405	246	18
Colorado	238	1,397	705	617	206	New Mexico	169	905	498	220	251
Connecticut	160	2,225	1,276	—	90	New York	152	886	394	603	53
Delaware	132	1,195	582	0	0	North Carolina	108	435	32	140	97
DC	0	855	204	0	0	North Dakota	261	—	391	1,203	0
Florida	243	980	203	108	109	Ohio	205	1,105	404	315	83
Georgia	240	952	129	61	121	Oklahoma	123	688	214	282	59
Hawaii	65	212	74	—	120	Oregon	326	1,505	681	1,046	267
Idaho	139	—	160	330	236	Pennsylvania	137	1,348	929	—	148
Illinois	127	943	240	459	39	Rhode Island	220	1,799	1,287	—	592
Indiana	268	1,168	521	58	53	South Carolina	238	753	0	0	30
Iowa	239	2,250	736	1,700	243	South Dakota	356	—	2,401	1,204	—
Kansas	249	1,767	596	604	475	Tennessee	226	843	415	209	133
Kentucky	174	967	78	—	100	Texas	155	853	383	203	94
Louisiana	231	1,140	157	119	300	Utah	188	1,400	713	693	561
Maine	210	—	198	—	265	Vermont	66	—	—	0	0
Maryland	123	592	263	115	46	Virginia	204	997	355	230	174
Mass.	96	804	582	79	224	Washington	246	1,592	520	787	201
Michigan	205	1,171	406	293	305	West Virginia	156	1,230	511	—	—
Minnesota	155	1,676	515	1,690	417	Wisconsin	206	1,756	801	448	668
Mississippi	129	319	336	60	283	Wyoming	454	—	846	1,243	—
* State where the offense occurred. —Too few youth in category to calculate a reliable percentage. Note: The custody rate is the number of youth in residential placement per 100,000 youth ages 10 through upper age of original juvenile court jurisdiction in each state. U.S. total includes 3,401 juveniles in private facilities for whom state of offense was not reported. Race rates do not include persons of Hispanic ethnicity. : Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (1999).

According to a 1993 study by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, in states for which data was available, African American youth were almost always more likely than White or Latino youth to be taken into state juvenile corrections custody by age 18 (Table 14). Similarly, Latino youth were generally more likely than White youth to be taken into state custody by age 18. Among reporting states, prevalence rates, or the likelihood of commitment, 15 were estimated to be highest for African American youth in Utah (8.32 or 1 in 12), Wisconsin (7.66 or 1 in 13), and Ohio (6.53 or 1 in 15).

Table 14: Likelihood of Commitment to State Public Facilities by Age 18
State	All	White	African American	Latino	Other
Ohio	1.55	0.83	6.53	1.20	0.26
Virginia	1.20	0.57	3.51	0.38	0.35
Missouri	1.08	0.74	3.32	na	0.39
Tennessee	1.07	0.70	2.60	na	0.24
Wisconsin	1.07	0.46	7.66	2.78	2.86
Louisiana	0.87	0.25	1.91	0.00	0.20
North Dakota	0.85	0.64	2.13	4.10	3.44
Texas	0.85	0.72	2.52	0.93	0.03
Utah	0.79	0.73	8.32	2.40	1.03
Iowa	0.73	0.62	4.54	1.85	1.17
Illinois	0.67	0.37	2.04	0.81	0.06
California	0.69	0.69	2.66	0.88	0.18
New Jersey	0.69	0.23	2.98	0.86	0.12
New York	0.69	0.35	2.20	1.18	0.11
New Hampshire	0.65	0.62	4.91	2.41	0.44
Massachusetts	0.56	0.28	2.73	1.68	1.95
Note: Latino is considered an ethnic category. Thus, Latino youth are also counted in the White and African American race groups in this analysis. The other race category is a composite of youth identified as Native American, Asian American, other, or unknown racial background. Source: The Juveniles Taken Into Custody Research Program: Estimating the Prevalence of Juvenile Custody Rates by Race and Gender. National Council on Crime and Delinquency (1993).

NEXT PAGE | PREVIOUS PAGE