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The purpose of the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance is to promote a safe, effective, and equitable continuum of care for children and adolescents in, or at risk of involvement in, the juvenile justice system.
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| Overrepresentation of African American and Latino/a Youth in Connecticut's Juvenile Justice System The Connecticut Office of Policy and Management published a report on the overrepresentation of minority youth in Connecticut's Juvenile Justice system titled, "A Reassessment of Minority Overrepresentation in Connecticut's Juvenile Justice System, June 2001. The study was conducted by Spectrum Associates Market Research Incorporated." The report may be downloaded on OPM's website. The Building Blocks for Youth initiative based in Washington D.C. is dedicated to reducing the overrepresentation and discriminatory practices that exist in juvenile justice systems nationwide. In summer 2002, Building Blocks released a report on the system inequities and found that Connecticut was the bottom ranks of the system. In August 2002, the Youth Law Center released a nationwide report on the over-representation of Latino/as in the Country's Juvenile Justice system. An executive summary, full report, press materials, and action packet may be found on the Building Blocks for Youth website at www.buildingblocksforyouth.org. Why does overrepresentation exist?
According to the recent report: "Disparities based on race or ethnicity may be the result of bias from judges and probation officers. More often, however, bias is built into the system through supposedly objective criteria. Parental participation, gang involvement, and immigration status are all "objective" standards that may fall more harshly on Latinos in the absence of cultural sensitivity. Thus, a court may not provide bilingual staff and services to an English-fluent youth, but that child's parents may need bilingual services to get involved in their child's case, rendering them unable to advocate for their child. Gang association may be inferred from tattoos and ethnicity, not actual behavior. Consideration of a youth's immigration status can also lead to harsher treatment." Liz Ryan, Staff, Building Blocks for Youth |
Notes from the 2003 Legislative Forum:
On January 29th, the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance and the Connecticut Center for Effective Practice co-sponsored a statewide event to address the Disproportionate representation and confinement of African-American and Latino/a youth in Connecticut's Juvenile Justice System. James Bell, Director of the California-based W. Haywood Burns Institute was the keynote speaker. To learn more about the Forum, click here. |