Race/ethnicity and the juvenile justice process: Exploring the over-representation of Latino youth in California’s juvenile justice system Enrique Ruacho May 16, 2009 Advisor: Dr. Elliot Currie

Outline Introduction Statement of the Problem Research Questions Literature Review Methods Findings Conclusion Acknowledgements

Introduction Who forms the juvenile justice system? –Police, probation, and judicial officers –Public defenders, prosecutors, and community advocates What does it do? –Public safety –Treat and rehabilitate youth

Introduction Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Relative Rate Index (RRI) –Compares minority youth to White youth at various stages

Statement of the Problem Source: Juvenile Justice in California, 2006

Research Questions Does the juvenile justice system in California operate with a bias that differentially disadvantages Latino youth? How does that bias manifest and operate at different stages of the justice system? How might this system be changed?

Literature Review Research shows that minority youth are more likely to be… –Apprehended and arrested –Detained before trial –Receive a disposition at trial Source: (Armstrong & Rodriguez, 2005; Brown Ray & Alarid, 2004; Leiber & Fox, 2005; Leiber & Johnson, 2008; MacDonald, 2003; Secret & Johnson, 1997; Tittle & Curran, 1988)

Literature Review Gap: Focuses on White youth and African-American/minority/non-white youth Gap: Research overwhelmingly uses a quantitative model of analysis –Exception: Conley, 1994

Methods Site: Los Angeles County Participants: –Police, probation, and judicial officers, public defenders, prosecutors, and community advocates Sample size: N=9

Methods Sampling strategy –Publicly available contact info –Social networks Data collection procedures –Government reporting systems –Interviews between 45 min. to 1 hour –January to April 2009

Methods Data Analysis –Recurring themes and trends Researcher’s position relative to the study

Findings Dual Roles and Narrow Tasks Decentralized network of justice officials Narrow tasks Lack of a holistic perspective

Findings Dual Role and Narrow Tasks Public Defender: “… what I try to do is defend my clients… make sure that they have good legal representation, and make sure that all their constitutional rights are being protected.” (March 2009)

Findings Dual Roles and Narrow Tasks Focus is on youth conduct, rather than contributing factors Judicial Officer 1: “I mean there’s just a bunch of reasons… the system has to deal with the conduct” (January 2009).

Findings Systematic Discrimination Latino youth face severe adversities Bias: Sociological perspective vs. Legal elements

Findings Rehabilitation: An Arduous Task Not a shared goal Lack of resources Community Advocate: “…it’s really difficult for organizations like us… I need 20 case managers. I need more resources” (February 2009).

Conclusion Policy recommendations –How to reduce bias through policies? –Juvenile justice reform Future research –Issues of juvenile delinquency and violence in the educational system

Acknowledgements Professor Elliott Currie Professor Kristen Day UROP Taylor Hogg Angel Ruacho

Questions???