The Disproportionate Overrepresentation of Minority Youth in ...

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out and trying to help them on a more
one-to-one basis is important.
Other important needs for minorities, especially blacks, are more opportunities for
education. The lack of education is related to many of the economic problems faced by
many minorities; however, some decision makers admitted that minorities have a greater
need for economic opportunity due to discrimination.
Still others suggest cultural differences lead to different needs. For example, some
think minorities have different needs because they need to be able to establish their own
identity within their own culture. Different minorities are also believed to have different
needs, such as religion and child-rearing norms, because they come from different
cultures. A few decision makers also believe that minorities have different needs than
whites, but they believe that those needs must be met by the family, not the system.
Therefore, they do not believe it is their responsibility to see that those needs are met.
According to some of the decision makers, on the other hand, the best way to
prevent racial bias in the system is to have more sensitivity training and enhance the
communication between whites and blacks. Sensitivity training is believed to educate
whites how to deal and communicate with minorities by becoming more aware of their
cultural differences. In addition, some argue there is a definite need for more black
attorneys and black probation officers. The important question for personnel is how to get
more minorities working in the system The following quote highlights these concerns.