Adjudication Decisions of Black, White, Hispanic, and Native American Youth in Juvenile Court

Abstract

The current study examines the likelihood of adjudication for White, Black, Hispanic, and Native American juveniles in an urban county in Arizona. The study utilized the focal concerns perspective as the theoretical framework to explain racial and ethnical differences. The findings indicate that Hispanic and Native American youths had greater odds of adjudication than White youths. When examining race or ethnic and gender relationships, White girls were found to be the least likely of all the groups to be adjudicated. Girls in the other groups (Black, Hispanic, and Native American) did not have significantly different odds of adjudication than their male counterparts. Split models also revealed that legal variables and committing a drug offense had a significantly different effect for Hispanic and Native American youths than for White youths. The results and implications are further discussed.