The Disproportionate Overrepresentation of Minority Youth in ...

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fairly minor but the elements seem to be there. He was wearing a Raiders
hat at the time of the crime so perhaps this is a gang child and someone
should be looking closer at him. I know that the county attorney’s office
may be less concerned with that than others in the office... I’m not a full
believer in our gang problem.
Feelings About the Study Overall
Most of the juvenile justice decision makers in Woodbury county, especially the
intake officers did not express positive feelings about the first phase of the study. Many
of the personnel, however, chose not to express this sentiment on record. Of those who
responded, some believed that the attempt to study their court with a standard survey
instrument was inappropriate. The underlying rationale was that their particular county
did things differently than the other counties.
Other officers did not agree with the operationalization of the term “informal
adjustment.” According to these people, many of the cases classified as an informal
adjustment should have been considered a release. Some also questioned the
qualifications and intentions of the personnel conducting the research. In addition, others
questioned the terminology used in the final report on the findings of phase one. In
particular, some took exception with the term “leniency” to describe the treatment Native
American Indians received at the intake stage in the proceedings. Last, the primary
project director (Michael Leiber) was seen as disrespectful for not appropriately dressing
for a meeting in Sioux City between himself, other workers, and the juvenile court staff.
The director wore shorts.