Overrepresentation of African-American males within the Juvenile Justice System
The overrepresentation of African-American male youth throughout the juvenile justice system is among the most challenging problems in the U.S. People continue to believe the outlandish notion that African-American males commit more crimes than their white counterparts, but research has shown that this prehistoric belief needs to be updated. Notwithstanding, African-American youth are still being incarcerated at a much larger rate than white youth. This research looks beyond the surface of statistics to show that African-American male youth, and minorities in general, are being greatly overrepresented throughout every stage of the juvenile justice system. This research analyzes the individual stages of the juvenile justice system, from arrest to aftercare, to determine if bias or racism is the reasons for the disproportionate representation. This research concentrates on the juvenile justice practices of Illinois, New York, and Pennsylvania. Also, this research makes recommendations to address the injustices found within the juvenile justice system.
School:
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
Research Advisor:
Dr. Christopher Span
Department of Research Advisor:
Educational Policy
Year of Publication:
2004