The advancement of racial justice has eluded youth decarceration efforts in the United States. A new report from The Sentencing Project reviews 10 years of youth incarceration data and finds the persistence of racial and ethnic disparities. In an era in which youth incarceration has dropped by half, African American and American Indian youth remain roughly five times and three times as likely, respectively, as their white peers to be incarcerated. Latinx youth are also more likely to be incarcerated, but the disparities are shrinking and not as stark. The new report, Racial Disparities in Youth Incarceration Persist, shows incarceration disparities state-by-state and how those disparities have changed over the last 10 years. It also offers recommendations to confront racism in the juvenile justice system: - Utilize racial impact statements to educate policymakers about changes in sentencing or law enforcement policies and practices;
- Collect and disseminate demographic data on the number of incarcerated or justice-system involved youth more frequently;
- Invest heavily in community programs that address inequality at the earliest stages.
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Sample social media post Black and American Indian youth are still overwhelmingly more likely to be held in custody than their white peers. New @Sentencingproj report highlights proven strategies to achieve racial equity in the youth justice system. https://bit.ly/3pKQf9E |
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