Transcript Minority Youth and Crime - California State University, Bakersfield

Department of Criminal Justice
California State University - Bakersfield
CRJU 330
Race, Ethnicity and Criminal Justice
Dr. Abu-Lughod, Reem Ali
Minority Youth and Crime
Introduction:
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June 2001, Lionel Tate AA boy, 12 years when he killed a
6-year old family friend while demonstrating a wrestling
move he had seen on T.V. Tried as an adult in Broward
county, Fl. And convicted of first degree murder
Month later, 14 year old AA boy sentenced by Florida
judge to 28 years without the possibility of parole. He
shot and killed a 30 year old popular 7th grade teacher.
He claimed it was an accident and he only meant to
scare the teacher. Convicted of second degree murder
Controversial because prosecuting kids as adults.
INTERACTIONS BETWEEN POLICE AND KIDS OF COLOR
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Juveniles have high levels of contact with the police
because out on streets
Poor juveniles more likely to be out on the streets
because less opportunity for indoor recreation
Age and race play a role in favoritism
Attitudes. AA found to be more disrespectful towards the
police than other racial groups
THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM
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Less formal and therefore more discretion, may be
discriminatory
Since CJ officials are more concerned about
rehabilitation than retribution they have discretion to
decide whether to handle a case formally or informally
Since 1988, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention Act required states to determine whether the
proportion of minorities in confinement exceeds their
proportion in the general population
 The
Intake Process
 Correctional
supervision
 Juveniles
of color especially AA face a higher risk of
victimization than white juveniles for property crimes,
violent crimes, and homicide
 In
general Whites constitute the majority of juvenile
offenders for most crimes. Exceptions (among the
most serious index offenses) are robbery (AA make
up more than half), and murder and nonnegligent
manslaughter (AA make up nearly half)
 Whites
are overrepresented for drug and alcohol
offenses
CONCLUSION
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There is no escape from the fact that
there is racial bias in the CJ system
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Misconceptions on the typical offender
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Some argue that racial profiling. High
rates of traffic stops of people of color is
justified because it is believed that they
are more likely to be involved in criminal
activity, particularly drug trafficking
 Authors
struggle to prove that there is systematic
discrimination but argue that there is contextual
discrimination in the CJS
 Goal
of book is to separate fact from fiction and
myth from reality
 They
are not arguing that systematic
discrimination never existed, the before and after
the civil rights movement (pre 1960s)
 Supreme
Ct. rulings: protect human rights,
selecting jurors form representative cross section
of population, no searches without warrants, right
to counsel, etc..