The Disproportionate Overrepresentation of Minority Youth in ...

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239 The number of beds available for a teenage female in the state of Iowa are preposterously low. There are very few placements for girls. Females are hard to place. Basically, we have the state training school in Toledo, a few other placements that I can’t tell you right off hand and I used to have an out of state placement, which is probably not going to be available anymore. Immediate consequences for a child are sometimes not possible to do. It can be months before they are seen at intake and by that time the kid has sort of forgotten what he did, some of them. Things that cause the system to slow down so bad are lack of placements. Causes of Delinquency Many different factors were mentioned as possible causes of delinquency by the juvenile court officers of Polk county (Tables 4, 5). The causes that stood out from the responses to the closed ended questions were: negative peer pressure (100 percent responded very to somewhat important), substance abuse (92 percent responded very to somewhat important), and negative school performance (93 percent responded very to somewhat important). Seventy-eight percent of the juvenile court officers also did not see poverty or economic structure as important explanations delinquency. Underlying these perceived causes of delinquency is the impression that youth choose to engage in delinquent behavior. This could then possibly explain why decision makers feel so strongly about punishment and a legalistic orientation toward youth.
As in the responses to the closed ended questions, peer pressure and hanging 240 around with the wrong crowd are seen in the interviews as the most important causes of delinquency. I think a lot of it has to do with peer pressure and the decision at the time. If they decide to get into trouble, it just kind of snowballs to the point where they’re going to do it and they don’t think of the consequences. I think the youths that I have contact with are getting into trouble because they have fallen in with the wrong crowd. I think that a lot of them are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I think peers play a big part in what is going on with our jobs here. Ninety percent of the problem is hanging around with the wrong crowd. You are who you associate with. Underlying these perceptions is the belief that delinquency is a personal choice; not a symptom of environmental factors. Low self-esteem, however, was another factor mentioned as a possible cause of delinquency. There’s a lack of communication out there between today’s youth and the community itself. I don’t feel that they’re really needed for anything important. I think their self-esteem is low, there’s nothing for them to do, their parents aren’t there to boost their self-esteem or the parents are there to do everything for them to the point where they don’t have to do anything, so they’ve got time on their hands and they just go out and get into trouble just to see if they can do it. Although decision makers generally do not see economic factors playing a role, a few officers did point to the lack of opportunities and money as possible explanations of delinquency. Due to the lack of jobs and opportunities for further education,
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The Disproportionate Overrepresenta
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The Disproportionate Overrepresenta
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Each of the following persons, in a
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Race Differences in Processing…
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Future Opportunities……………
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Crimes………………………
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LIST OF TABLES Title Page # Summary
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Frequency Distributions of Variable
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Definition of Variables Used to Rep
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Frequency Distributions of Variable
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Definitions of Variables Used to Re
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Research Sites 2 Due to the relativ
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was counted as only one referral. T
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6 result of an active policy which
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8 outcomes is as follows: adjudicat
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10 Analysis The analyses followed t
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12 Scott County: At the stage of pe
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14 Table 1. Summary of Research Des
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16 Table 1-continued. _____________
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18 Table 2--Continued. Black Hawk W
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Table 3.-continued. 20 Disposition
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Table 3.-continued. 22 Disposition
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24 objective of this approach was t
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26 negative light, represented by b
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28 Thus, the decision makers respon
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30 specific county is first present
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Table 1. Number of Self-Reports and
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34 in interacting with youth. The e
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36 end up being good and I learned
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38 he is on probation, he knows the
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40 . . . level of supervision and a
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42 For the young black man it is a
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44 (47 percent answered most of the
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46 the result of disproportionate i
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48 court whereas a person without t
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50 and deprivation financially and
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52 referred on to petition. The res
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Blacks/Dropout Placement 54 The sec
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56 of things doesn’t get arrested
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58 I think that traditionally Black
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60 while job and they are contribut
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62 be. If someone has done wrong an
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64 also varied. The two more promin
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66 Table 2. Definition of Variables
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Table 3--continued. 68 Variable Nam
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Table 5--continued. 72 Variable Nam
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Table 5--continued. Variable Name C
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76 Table 7. Frequency Distributions
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Table 10. Definition of Variable Re
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Table 11--continued. Variable Name
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84 Several black youth felt that wh
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86 Some individuals did believe tha
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88 In summary both races felt that
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90 A black male reasoned that black
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92 variation in the responses. A ma
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94 than white. Almost all of t blac
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96 for a probation violation.” A
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98 get to associate with kids and h
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100 “It’s too hard for me. I do
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102 married or nothing like that.
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104 Table 1. Definition of Variable
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Table 2--continued. White Black Var
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108 Table 4. Frequency Distribution
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110 Table 4--continued. White Black
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120 more diversified personnel to a
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122 I have problems with the facili
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124 adhere to, you know, to the cou
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126 laymen, lay people the authorit
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128 called an original gang member.
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opportunity, or do you wait for the
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132 ...there’s things that you di
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134 almost never/never). Thirty-fou
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136 I think that may be apart of it
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138 one-time meeting with this fami
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140 …no differences. I don’t th
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142 of our diversion programs as qu
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144 Q. As an excuse for why they co
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146 blacks were released while olde
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148 not be cooperative, it limits y
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150 Indian Youth of America is very
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Blacks, Native American Indians Les
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154 Overall, most of the decision m
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156 same schools in Sioux City. The
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158 A. Well, they’re living in Si
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160 A. Yeah, I think so. I think th
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162 ideological position is evident
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Table 1. Distributions of Decision
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Table 3--continued 168 Variable Nam
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Table 5-continued. 172 Variable Nam
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Table 8. Definition of Variables Re
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Table 10. Definition of Variables R
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Table 11-continued. 178 Variable Na
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Chapter Six Woodbury County Youth T
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182 Q: Do you feel racial discrimin
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improving. There was one twelve yea
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186 Q: Do you feel racial discrimin
Page 211 and 212: 188 Q: Do you feel that a black per
Page 213 and 214: 190 In the interviews, half of the
Page 215 and 216: 192 Trust The question asked in thi
Page 217 and 218: 194 According to the Hispanic youth
Page 219 and 220: 196 he always yells at the black ki
Page 221 and 222: (58 percent of the whites, 55 perce
Page 223 and 224: 200 Q: Now, tell me why. A: Cause i
Page 225 and 226: 202 Q: You mean of physical harm or
Page 227 and 228: 204 have a lot of respect for the p
Page 229 and 230: Perceptions of Probation Officers 2
Page 231 and 232: 208 blacks (Tables 5, 6). Generally
Page 233 and 234: 210 Black youth He’s nice. He tal
Page 235 and 236: 212 The first black youth believed
Page 237 and 238: 214 because the teacher would not l
Page 239 and 240: 216 and go to the principal’s off
Page 241 and 242: 218 The youth have taken into consi
Page 243 and 244: 220 Table 1. Definition of Variable
Page 245 and 246: Table 2-continued. White Black Vari
Page 247 and 248: 224 Table 4. Frequency Distribution
Page 249 and 250: 226 Table 4-continued White Black V
Page 253 and 254: 230 Table 6-continued. White Black
Page 257 and 258: 234 Table 8--continued. White Black
Page 259 and 260: 236 Perceived Role of the Court and
Page 261: 238 There is extremely more paperwo
Page 265 and 266: 242 getting the support from the pa
Page 267 and 268: 244 They seem to want to turn the k
Page 269 and 270: 246 crime. There are some officers,
Page 271 and 272: Police 248 In response to the close
Page 273 and 274: 250 tend to be drawn to gang activi
Page 275 and 276: 252 Blacks and Detention The first
Page 277 and 278: 254 The problem is availability. Th
Page 279 and 280: 256 the percentages. I don’t know
Page 281 and 282: 258 Table 1. Distributions of Decis
Page 285 and 286: Table 3-continued. 262 Variable Nam
Page 291 and 292: Table 6. Definition of Variables Re
Page 297 and 298: 274 Table 11. Frequency Distributio
Page 299 and 300: Chapter Eight YOUTH POLK COUNTY The
Page 301 and 302: 278 ...because of the last past thi
Page 303 and 304: 280 equal opportunity; yet, youth w
Page 305 and 306: 282 The trend in the interviews, fo
Page 307 and 308: 284 in the minority. Racism is indi
Page 309 and 310: 286 could single out a group that t
Page 311 and 312: 288 I think it is because they are
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290 could trust the police, there w
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292 View of Probation Officer In th
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294 and he spoke out against me, ma
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296 Some of those blacks who did co
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Summary 298 In general, most of the
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304 Table 4-continued. White Black
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Table 4-continued. White Black Vari
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Charter Nine Adult Decision Makers
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316 from becoming recidivists and
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318 The paperwork. I think I do my
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320 By reading through the intervie
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322 difference is that youth are no
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324 this country. I don’t think i
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326 I think some of them have to pr
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328 I think they’re about the sam
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330 My feeling is that the most com
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332 The Juvenile Justice System In
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334 I have seen a couple of instanc
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336 The Disproportionate Overrepres
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338 It just goes to show that is al
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340 Race Findings Specific to Study
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342 Blacks Receive Consent Decrees
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344 small minority we are dealing w
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346 In response to the second phase
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348 As a person who hires here, I a
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350 Table 1. Distributions of Decis
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354 Table 3-continued. Variable Nam
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Table 6. Definition of Variable Rep
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366 Table 11. Frequency Distributio
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Chapter Ten Youth Scott County Ther
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370 have equal job opportunities (6
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372 concerning opportunities in the
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374 police brutality. One expressed
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376 feel police do not treat everyo
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378 just thinks you’re never goin
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380 The results from the self repor
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382 white youth who reported he wou
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384 When asked whether they regrett
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400 Table 8-continued White Black V
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402 asked more general questions th
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404 however, were the dominant them
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406 In all four counties, decision
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408 Recommendations A number of rec
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410 encourage sexual promiscuity, a
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412 decision makers have little exp
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414 resources and rising expectatio
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416 Depending on the county, decisi
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418 family cooperativeness or defic
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420 Table 1. Summary of Themes and
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422 Explanations of Specific Findin
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BIBLIOGRAPHY Bishop, D. and C. Fraz
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The Disproportionate Overrepresentation of Minority Youth in ...

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