The Disproportionate Overrepresentation of Minority Youth in ...

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be. If someone has done wrong and if the system is to correct their
behavior and protect the public then you better damn well do it and I don’t
care what color you are. I don’t know if it is the court’s responsibility to
do that. I think it is the family’s, their responsibility to go back to family
values and to teach them to their families and for society to teach better
values.
Summary
In Black Hawk county, juvenile court personnel appear to operate under a
philosophy characterized by an orientation that has a blend of rehabilitation and
adherence to the rights of the youth and society. This orientation is highlighted by the
emphasis placed on intervention and holding youth accountable for their actions. A
history of such practices, a perceived breakdown in family supervision and discipline,
and the growing number of single-parent homes are believed to justify this philosophy.
Younger youth and more multiproblematic youth are also seen as a cause for
intervention. In addition, there is a belief among juvenile court decision makers that
society and in particular, state government requires them to provide help but also hold
youth accountable for their behavior. Overall, they believe they are expected to do much
more with less resources. There is a feeling that juvenile court decision makers are held
much more accountable for their decisions than ever before.
The general perception is that the frequency and type of crime, for the most part,
is not race—specific. Some decision makers perceived black families to be more
dysfunctional than white families. The underlying causes for this perceived occurrence
were believed to be economics and an increase in