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The Disproportionate Overrepresentation of Minority Youth in ...

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<strong>The</strong> majority <strong>of</strong> whites feel probation <strong>of</strong>ficers treat all people alike. “<strong>The</strong>y treat<br />

everyone alike; male, female, black, white, rich, and poor.” One white even suggested<br />

that probation <strong>of</strong>ficers do not discrim<strong>in</strong>ate aga<strong>in</strong>st blacks, but rather aga<strong>in</strong>st whites. “I<br />

th<strong>in</strong>k it’s the other way around. I have seen blacks get <strong>in</strong>to trouble for the same th<strong>in</strong>g I<br />

have and get let free.”<br />

Respect<br />

Both blacks and whites felt some sort <strong>of</strong> respect when asked whether they had<br />

respect for their probation <strong>of</strong>ficers. As <strong>in</strong>dicated <strong>in</strong> the self reports, 68 percent <strong>of</strong> the<br />

blacks and 89 percent <strong>of</strong> the whites responded sometimes to most <strong>of</strong> the time.<br />

<strong>The</strong> youth did not expand much on their responses to why they respect their<br />

probation <strong>of</strong>ficers. One black youth expressed he would only reciprocate the respect that<br />

was given to him. “I am the type <strong>of</strong> person where if I get respect, I give it.” One white<br />

expresses both respect and trust for her probation <strong>of</strong>ficer, “My probation <strong>of</strong>ficer is<br />

supportive. He talks to me about how to keep out <strong>of</strong> trouble, what th<strong>in</strong>gs to do, and if I<br />

need someth<strong>in</strong>g to come talk to him.” Of the few that did not trust their probation<br />

<strong>of</strong>ficers, one said, “<strong>The</strong>y lied to me and said that I wasn’t go<strong>in</strong>g (to detention), probably<br />

because they thought that I would run.”

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