Disproportionate Minority Confinement (DMC) of Youth: An Analysis of State and Federal Efforts to Address the Issue

Abstract

Since the mid-1990s, states participating in the Federal Formula Grants Program have been required to determine whether disproportionate minority confinement (DMC) exists in secure facilities, identify the causes, and develop and implement corrective strategies. DMC, a core requirement of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, consists of four interrelated stages: identification, assessment, intervention, andmonitoring. The objective of the present research is to examine compliance with the identification and assessment stages of the DMC mandate. More specifically, the inquiry focuses on the extent of minority overrepresentation in states' juvenile justice systems and assessments of its causes. The discussion concludes with an examination of the politics and practical limitations that affect implementation of the DMC requirement.