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

Statement of the Problem

Source: Juvenile Justice in California, 2006

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

Methods

Data Analysis

– Recurring themes and trends

Researcher’s position relative to the study

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

Acknowledgements

Professor Elliott Currie Professor Kristen Day UROP Taylor Hogg Angel Ruacho

Questions???