According to a December 1999 report by the U.S. Justice Department, the overrepresentation of black juveniles occurs at all stages of the juvenile justice system. In 1996-97, while 26% of juveniles arrested were black, they made up 45% of cases involving detention. Thirty-two percent of adjudicated cases involved black youth, yet 40% of juveniles in residential placement are black. Even recognizing the overrepresentation of black juveniles involved in violent crimes reported by victims (39%), they still accounted for a disproportionate share of juvenile arrests for violent crime (44%) and confinement (45%). Nor is this problem limited to African American youth. Latino youth are also over-represented in detention, and racial minorities accounted for 7 in 10 youth held in custody for a violent offense.
The issue of disproportionate minority contact (DMC) raises difficult issues for the American criminal justice system. Suspicions about DMC threaten victim cooperation with police and prosecutors, the participation of minority jurors, and the validity of judicial decisions among members of minority and majority communities alike. Most fundamentally, disproportionate minority contact challenges the basic American assumption that everyone receives "equal justice under law."
Youth for Justice has prepared this web site to help teachers and students understand and assess different aspects of disproportionate minority contact. This includes lessons for classroom use as well as links to resources that are useful to every citizen interested in addresssing this issue.