Download Race/ethnicity and the juvenile justice process

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
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Introduction
Statement of the Problem
Research Questions
Literature Review
Methods
Findings
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
Introduction
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Who forms the juvenile justice system?
– Police, probation, and judicial officers
– Public defenders, prosecutors, and
community advocates
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What does it do?
– Public safety
– Treat and rehabilitate youth
Introduction
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Disproportionate Minority Contact
(DMC)
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Relative Rate Index (RRI)
– Compares minority youth to White
youth at various stages
Statement of the Problem
Source: Juvenile Justice in California, 2006
Research Questions
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Does the juvenile justice system in
California operate with a bias that
differentially disadvantages Latino youth?
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How does that bias manifest and operate at
different stages of the justice system?
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How might this system be changed?
Literature Review
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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
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Gap: Focuses on White youth and
African-American/minority/non-white
youth
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Gap: Research overwhelmingly uses a
quantitative model of analysis
– Exception: Conley, 1994
Methods
Site: Los Angeles County
 Participants:
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– Police, probation, and judicial officers,
public defenders, prosecutors, and
community advocates
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Sample size: N=9
Methods
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Sampling strategy
– Publicly available contact info
– Social networks
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Data collection procedures
– Government reporting systems
– Interviews between 45 min. to 1 hour
– January to April 2009
Methods
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Data Analysis
– Recurring themes and trends
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Researcher’s position relative to the
study
Findings
Dual Roles and Narrow Tasks
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Decentralized network of justice officials
 Narrow tasks
 Lack of a holistic perspective
Findings
Dual Role and Narrow Tasks
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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
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Focus is on youth conduct, rather than
contributing factors
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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
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Latino youth face severe adversities
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Bias: Sociological perspective vs. Legal
elements
Findings
Rehabilitation: An Arduous Task
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Not a shared goal
 Lack of resources
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Community Advocate: “…it’s really difficult for
organizations like us… I need 20 case
managers. I need more resources” (February
2009).
Conclusion
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Policy recommendations
– How to reduce bias through policies?
– Juvenile justice reform
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Future research
– Issues of juvenile delinquency and violence
in the educational system
Acknowledgements
Professor Elliott Currie
 Professor Kristen Day
 UROP
 Taylor Hogg
 Angel Ruacho
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Questions???