Mar., 2011 - Mecklenburg County Bar

Court Communiqués
Race Matters for Juvenile Justice
By Charles Keller, Jr.
“We envision a Charlotte-Mecklenburg
community where the composition and
outcomes of juvenile courts cannot be predicted
by race and/or ethnicity,” said District
Court Judge Louis A. Trosch Jr when talking
about disproportionality in juvenile courts.
Research has demonstrated that children
and families of color are disproportionately
represented in the child welfare system and
frequently experience disparate outcomes.
Whereas children of all races are equally as
likely to suffer from child abuse and neglect,
the percentage of African-American and
other minority children who enter and
remain in out-of-home care is greater than
their proportion in the population.
In an effort to raise awareness and begin
a dialogue toward making changes and
reducing the disproportionate
representation and disparate outcomes for
children and families of color in the juvenile
justice system, Race Matters For Juvenile
Justice was formed. The collaborative
group, led by the Juvenile Court judges of
the 26th Judicial District, brings together
judicial officers, systems’ experts, service
providers and community partners.
On January 28, Race Matters for Juvenile
Justice hosted a ground-breaking
Dr. Carol Wilson Spigner
symposium that examined disproportionality
and disparities in the child welfare
system. Dr. Carol Wilson Spigner, who most
recently served as the Kenneth L.M. Pray
Distinguished Professor at the University of
Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and
Practice and is best known for reform of
public child welfare agencies and child
welfare policy, served as the keynote speaker.
Nationally recognized child welfare experts,
Dr. Mark Testa and Dr. Dean Duncan,
discussed national and local research data
regarding disproportionality within the
juvenile justice system. Additional
presenters included Judge Louis A. Trosch,
Jr., Judge Elizabeth T. Trosch, Judge Rickye
McKoy-Mitchell, Judge Kimberly Y. Best-
Community, faith-based and business leaders came together to
begin an important dialogue.
Staton, Chief District Court Judge Lisa Bell,
Dr. Susan McCarter and Mary Wilson.
More than 300 community leaders and
advocates, faith-based leaders and representatives
from small businesses and corporations
who wanted to offer their leadership to help
improve the quality of justice in our
community attended the symposium. “I look
forward to the community’s participation in
the most significant initiative our Juvenile
Court has embarked on in the last decade,”
stated Chief District Court Judge Lisa Bell.
Mr. Keller works in the Mecklenburg County
Trial Court Administrator's Office as the
Community Access & Outreach Administrator.
www.MeckBar.org March 2011 9