| amendments to the Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention Act, which requires that each state receiving federal juvenile
justice formula grant funds must conduct an assessment to determine whether minority youth
are over-represented in secure confinement and, if so, to take steps to address such
disproportionality (see Appendix B of this report for information on the federal DMC
requirement). David Gamble discussed a 5-state DMC pilot project, conducted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, pointing out that DMC cannot be addressed solely at the state level. He stated that full-time DMC coordinators should be hired to provide constant, adequate attention to the issue, and that objective disposition guidelines should be established. Mr. Ibarra added that a strategic "systems" approach is needed in addressing DMC, including developing appropriate goals in the earliest stages of program planning. To exemplify this need, he |
discussed the eagerness of schools and
families to kick kids out who are difficult to deal with rather than working across
systems to identify and address kids’ problems. Mr. Ibarra stated that all of us are
part of the problem and we all need to be willing to be part of the solution. Chief Hurtt gave the perspective of law enforcement, stressing the need for more prevention services, and pointing out that police need to expend as much effort keeping minority youth out of the system as they spend putting them in. He acknowledged that police need to do more to work with communities to address equity issues, and discussed the need to look at the type of police officers hired, as well as the numbers. He praised community policing efforts which focus not simply on increased enforcement but on improving quality of life in communities. Finally, he recommended giving more opportunities for input from the community in the selection of new officers. Judge Fields discussed the marked differences between courts in Phoenix in terms of minority over-representation, placement options and patterns, and even the stability |
of the families which come before the court. He
stressed the need for continuing cultural competency training for all court personnel, as
well as the need to maintain focused awareness and attention on DMC. Judge Fields urged
judges to strive to partner with community agencies at an appropriate level that allows
the judge to maintain the objectivity needed on the bench. Rick Romley stressed the need for policy reform, again addressing the need for more prevention focus. He agreed with others that the over-representation of minorities is beyond question, and stated that much of it is a result of poor state policies that fail to recognize the complexity of the problem and instead propose quick fix solutions. Finally, Helene Abrams discussed the need to start with good data. She discussed the lack of resources for public defenders and the sometimes inadequate legal representation minority youth receive as a result. She encouraged those in attendance to participate in cultural diversity training and discussed exercises to accomplish this. |
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