{"id":5061158,"date":"2023-01-16T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-16T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rilatinonews.com\/?p=5061158"},"modified":"2023-01-16T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-01-16T08:00:00","slug":"addressing-juvenile-justice-system-disparities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/riln\/2023\/01\/16\/addressing-juvenile-justice-system-disparities\/","title":{"rendered":"Addressing Juvenile Justice System Disparities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day from RILN; today reminds us of the progress we have made and the progress that lies ahead in intersectional racial equity in areas such as the U.S. adult and juvenile justice systems. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historic civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested 29 times in his lifetime. His time spent in prison shed light on the racial disparities within the criminal justice system \u2013 disparities that persist 60 years later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLaw and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and that when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress,\u201d he wrote in 1963, Letter from Birmingham Jail<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there\u2019s been in-depth research and discussions on the unequal representation of Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous people in the U.S. adult criminal justice system, advocates are calling attention to the power behind juvenile<\/em> <\/strong>justice entities.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithout that recognition that children and youth have unique needs or will understand and respond differently than adults, we miss a huge opportunity to rehabilitate and promote the future well-being of our youth and communities,\u201d RI Kids Count wrote in Centering Youth Voice in Juvenile Justice Reform<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the United States, about 1,995 youth are arrested every day, according to The State of America\u2019s Children 2020 report. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These youth may be placed on probation or removed from their homes and sent to correctional institutions or other residential facilities. Experts have pointed out major issues with juvenile facilities<\/a> including exposing youth to further violence and maltreatment, a pervasive overreliance on confinement, along with glaring racial and ethnic disparities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYouth commit only a small portion of the nation\u2019s crime\u2026[and] has also been going down for many years,\u201d according to the Campaign for Youth Justice. \u201cDespite this drop, the United States has the highest rate of youth confinement of any developed country. In 2010, there were 173 youth for every 100,000 in confinement. However, 39% of those who are in confinement are there due to a technical violation of probation, drug offenses, public order offenses, status offenses, and low level property offenses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Various reports have all found that youth of color and those with disabilities, along with LGBTQ+ youth<\/a> are highly overrepresented in the juvenile justice system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of 2021, \u201cBlack youth are nine times more likely than white youth to receive an adult prison sentence, American Indian\/Alaska Native youth are almost two times more likely, and Hispanic youth are 40 percent more likely,\u201d according to the Children\u2019s Defense Fund.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research experts estimate between 30 percent to 85 percent of incarcerated youth have a learning disability, making students with disabilities almost three times more likely to be arrested than their peers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

LGBTQ+ youth make up five to seven percent of the youth population, but 13 to 15 percent of the juvenile justice population, according to the Center for American Progress<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

RI KIDS COUNT REPORT: Key Findings & Recomendations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last month, RI Kids Count published Centering Youth Voice in Juvenile Justice Reform<\/em>. The report highlights the experiences and perspectives of Rhode Island youth (14 to 21 years old) who have come into contact with the juvenile justice system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An event to explore and discuss the report\u2019s findings was hosted on Dec. 11 and is available to watch HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Major takeaways included the need to address \u201cthe trauma many youth have experienced and continue to experience\u2026 unequal access to legal representation and the ability to pay fees\u2026[and] racial and ethnic disparities at all points in the juvenile justice system.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Youth participating in the focus groups said they felt intimidated by the entire family court process and did not have a voice in their own case. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think each judge needs to understand that they are talking to a kid…this kid doesn\u2019t know you, so they are uncomfortable,\u201d said one youth participant. \u201cThey don\u2019t know you and then they\u2019re being watched by other people too. So, it puts you in a place where you don\u2019t really feel like answering.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A community-based alternative to family court are Juvenile Hearing Boards<\/a>, a process that promotes restorative justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe open dialogue afforded by restorative justice opportunities gets at the root cause of a youth\u2019s actions by centering their voice in the narrative,\u201d according to the 2022 report. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All nine focus group participants identified as youth of color. The groups spoke on experiencing racism in encounters with policing, courts, detention, and probation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe should all be equal and the consequences should all be equal. It shouldn\u2019t be based on your skin or how the judge is feeling that day,\u201d said one participant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The publication\u2019s recommendations include that more people of color are recruited in all areas of the system and objective screening tools such as the Risk Assessment Instrument are considered at arrest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, participants who have been to the Rhode Island Training School said the experience was counterproductive and harmful to their wellbeing\u2014especially to their mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I went in there, I wasn\u2019t even 18… but it did change me,\u201d said one youth participant. \u201cThat\u2019s why I changed, because I was by myself a lot like I couldn\u2019t be around nobody no more…I was just… in my room, depressed, by myself, just like, damn. Then I started being anti-social\u2026\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Child advocates worry that such programs restrict youth\u2019s development instead of providing effective rehabilitation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c…treating kids like little adults obviously always does nothing but tarnish them and hurt them and not give them [a] chance to change while their brains are still developing, and their emotional responses are still growing,\u201d one caseworker told RI Kids Count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On crime prevention, participants called for more accessible after-school activities, career entry opportunities, and adult role models from their communities who can relate to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c…The reason why kids are getting into trouble right now, because they don\u2019t have…well everything runs on money… you have to pay for the YMCA, Boys & Girls Club…we don\u2019t have money…we don\u2019t have a job…all we can do is get into trouble,\u201d said one youth participant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about the publication\u2019s findings and recommendations for juvenile justice reform at rikidscount.org. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day from RILN; today reminds us of the progress we have made and the progress 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