Black/White Disparities Grow as Total Juvenile Placements Decline

From the Sentencing Project (http://www.sentencingproject.org):

Despite long-term declines in youth incarceration, the disparity at which black and white youth are held in juvenile facilities has grown, according to data from the U.S. Department of Justice. As of 2015, African American youth were five times as likely as white youth to be detained or committed to youth facilities, as shown in our new fact sheet, the first of three on racial and ethnic disparities in youth incarceration.

In six states, African American youth are at least ten times as likely to be held in placement as are white youth: New Jersey, Wisconsin, Montana, Delaware, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Since 2001, racial disparities have grown in 37 states, and at least doubled in five: Maryland, Montana, Connecticut, Delaware, and Wisconsin.

We hope this new resource helps inform your work. Please contact Josh Rovner at jrovner@sentencingproject.org if you have questions about this fact sheet or The Sentencing Project’s research on youth incarceration in the United States.

Share the news about racial disparity in youth incarceration on social media using these sample Tweets:

  • Despite long-term declines in youth incarceration, racial disparities continue to grow: sent.pr/2wVuZ6m via @Sentencingproj
  • Black youth are 5X more likely to be locked up than white youth, @SentencingProj reports: sent.pr/2wVuZ6m

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