War on Race and the Juvenile Justice System
The United States was founded on the principles of individual freedom, equality and due process in a democratic society, but in the area of the justice system, these principles have often been challenged. The extended reach of the criminal justice system has been far from uniform in its effects upon different segments of the population. Although the number of women prisoners has increased in recent years at a more rapid pace than men, the criminal justice system as a whole still remains overwhelming male approximately 87 percent. Disproportionate minority representation in the juvenile justice system has been a national policy issue since 1992 when Congress amended the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974. The amendments required states participating in the Federal Formula Grants Program to determine the existence of disproportionate minority representation, assess the causes, develop and implement corrective interventions, and evaluate those interventions; and to fund programs addressing gender issues. States that failed to make progress or show good faith efforts towards reducing disproportionate minority representation risked losing one-quarter of their formula grant funds and having to expend the remaining proportion towards achieving progress.
When viewing the juvenile justice system one must view the system as a whole. Not only should it be analyzed as a whole but broken down into different subcultures as race, sex, social class, and so forth to get to the cure of the problem. Social class as well as race plays a major role in the system from the first contact to the end of the process. The earliest known code of laws (the Code of Hammurabi) took specific note of the duties of children to parents and prescribed punishment for violations. As legal systems were elaborated the age of offenders continued to be important in defining responsibility for criminal behavior. English common law, for example held that children under the age of
When viewing the juvenile justice system one must view the system as a whole. Not only should it be analyzed as a whole but broken down into different subcultures as race, sex, social class, and so forth to get to the cure of the problem. Social class as well as race plays a major role in the system from the first contact to the end of the process. The earliest known code of laws (the Code of Hammurabi) took specific note of the duties of children to parents and prescribed punishment for violations. As legal systems were elaborated the age of offenders continued to be important in defining responsibility for criminal behavior. English common law, for example held that children under the age of
References: Austin, J., Johnson, K., & Gregoriou, M. (2000). Juveniles in adult prisons and jails: A national assessment Building Blocks for Youth, Youth Crime/Adult Time: Is Justice Served, Washington, DC, October 26, 2000. with Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell. Retrieved February 4, 2004 from, http://www.ncjrs.org/html/ojjdp/jjnl_2000_12/chall.html. Sampson, Robert J. 2006. “Open Doors Don’t Invite Criminals.” New York Times, March 11, 2006. Retrieved March 11, 2006 (http://www.nyt.com). Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 2006 National Report, Washington, DC, 2006 DC, May 10, 2006 Page | 2