The Disproportionate Overrepresentation of Minority Youth in ...

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teenage pregnancy among black females. Black youth and black families were also
believed to be more distrustful of the system than white youth and white families. Some
decision makers felt that this may lead to greater uncooperativeness among blacks. Most
decision makers, however, did not believe that black youth were less likely to admit to
the offense in contrast to white youth. Failure to appear for meetings and agree to
intake/court stipulations were seen as primary factors that separate blacks from whites.
Decision makers were split on whether the police respond differently to black
youth than white youth. There was also a wide range of opinions concerning what may
account for the disproportionate overrepresentation of minorities in secure facilities.
Some did not see it as an issue, some blamed the minorities themselves, while others
pointed to an unstable family environment and deficiencies in the juvenile justice system
itself.
There were a variety of opinions concerning the findings from Phase One of the
study that black youth with more current charges at intake were more likely than other
youth to be referred on to petition. Some questioned the accuracy of the finding. Others
suggested that an admission of guilt, youth and family cooperation, and overall
functioning in the community and within the family may account for the race differences.
Explanations for the finding that black youth who had dropped out of school were more
likely to receive a change of placement at judicial disposition than white youth and other
black youth