The Disproportionate Overrepresentation of Minority Youth in ...

Chapter Seven
ADULT DECISION MAKERS POLK COUNTY
Twenty—eight juvenile court decision makers were interviewed in this county.
The demographics and mean length of time on the job for these individuals are presented
in Table 1 at the end of the chapter. Of the 28 decision makers, 19 were male and 9 were
female. Twenty-six are white and 2 are black. The mean age of the personnel was 42. The
mean length of time on the job was 10 years.
In general, decision makers from Polk county believe that youth choose to engage
in delinquent activity. This assumption, coupled with heavy caseloads and demands for
holding youth accountable for their behavior, may explain the adherence to a legalistic
orientation. An emphasis on speed and efficiency, with minimal intervention is evident.
Rehabilitation is seen as important but unattainable given the perceived views,
orientation, and demands that are placed upon the decision makers. Personnel felt that
blacks were more often than whites to be involved in drug offenses. Black families were
also perceive to be less willing to cooperate with staff. A lack of trust towards the system
was as an underlying factor for this occurrence. Concern was expressed by the decision
makers regarding bias and discrimination at the level of the police. Suggestions for the
hiring of more minority personnel was needed as a means to provide role models for
nonwhite youth.
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