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The Disproportionate Overrepresentation of Minority Youth in ...

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155<br />

was very prejudiced. She feels that the blacks were treated poorly. She<br />

worked part-time at a juvenile detention center. I know this lady because<br />

I’ve had to deal with her sometimes when I’m on call. Her last three<br />

employers she’s sued.<br />

Q. Do you th<strong>in</strong>k she had enough understand<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> the overall project to<br />

been able to purposely mis-code th<strong>in</strong>gs<br />

A. Who checked the files after they did their work<br />

Q. <strong>The</strong>ir supervisor did. And I also was told they tested and re-tested these<br />

people, that it was an ongo<strong>in</strong>g th<strong>in</strong>g to make sure th<strong>in</strong>gs were be<strong>in</strong>g done<br />

correctly.<br />

A. No, I don’t th<strong>in</strong>k that happened at all. Because we heard comments,<br />

‘well we made a mistake, well, I’m not go<strong>in</strong>g to back that far.’ So I don’t<br />

th<strong>in</strong>k they really got a true story. Another th<strong>in</strong>g, they did not see the kids<br />

<strong>in</strong> Eldora (state tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g school). It doesn’t show for all the kids that are<br />

put <strong>in</strong>to placement programs and we’ve left their charges open. If they<br />

complete their treatment, they may never brought up on the subsequent<br />

<strong>of</strong>fense. I don’t th<strong>in</strong>k a true study was done because I th<strong>in</strong>k there were a<br />

lot <strong>of</strong> mistakes.<br />

Suggestions for Change<br />

<strong>The</strong> last component <strong>of</strong> the <strong>in</strong>terview <strong>in</strong>volved ask<strong>in</strong>g the decision makers what<br />

they believed was needed to change the disproportionate overrepresentation <strong>of</strong> m<strong>in</strong>ority<br />

youth <strong>in</strong> secure facilities. To address this issue, personnel were asked what they thought<br />

the court’s role should be, what programs could/should be implemented, and whether the<br />

hir<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> m<strong>in</strong>ority staff would help <strong>in</strong> relat<strong>in</strong>g to youth <strong>of</strong> different racial/ethnic<br />

backgrounds. Keep <strong>in</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d, there are no nonwhites on staff. <strong>The</strong>re are also only three to<br />

four women <strong>in</strong> the juvenile court <strong>of</strong>fice. In addition, a large percentage <strong>of</strong> the workers<br />

with<strong>in</strong> the juvenile court <strong>of</strong>fice are catholic and graduated from the

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