The Disproportionate Overrepresentation of Minority Youth in ...

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The blacks with the more extensive prior record, the charges have a
tendency to be more serious than whites and that could be perhaps that
whites are not in the economic situation that the majority of the minorities
are in. I think that blacks have a tendency to have more violent crimes
whereas whites have more of a tendency to shoplift or things like that.
Others think that for their population, minorities commit more delinquency, which is also
usually more serious. The crimes, however, may be more violent, but not necessarily
more serious as far as felonies.
Many of the personnel believe that overall, the percentage of black youth committing
delinquent acts has increased in recent years.
The white kids that are in placement, also the parents are having a difficult
time dealing with the kid. It’s certainly true that there are some white kids
who commit the same crimes that the black kids do, that the white kids
aren’t as prone to get put into placement. That’s true, when you’re talking
about the severity of the crime. But when we’re looking at everything
overall, how things are going with that kid in his family and his
schoolwork, and the community, it seems like the black families that have
been referred for delinquencies are having a more difficult time dealing
with those kids.
Adherence to cultural values espoused by the parents is often given to explain the
possible differences in the types and severity of crimes committed by black youth.
According to some personnel, in some families, particularly minorities, youth are
believed to be brought up that it is okay to steal, “so they learn delinquency at home”.
Some officers also believe that often black families use the system to excuse their child’s
behavior. That is, they see it as a “white system”; a system “out to get them”. For others,
defiance is seen as a symbol of status.