Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) to Racial and Ethnic Disparities (RED) in Juvenile Justice: What does it Mean and Does it Matter?

Abstract

Youth of color have been overrepresented in the American juvenile justice system/juvenile court since its inception in 1899. Additionally, the court's philosophy has changed over time from a more informal and rehabilitative model to a more formal and punitive model. And minoritized and marginalized youth continue to experience disparate and more severe outcomes than their White counterparts; outcomes that cannot be explained by behavior/legal factors. Moreover, the nation's Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 was not reauthorized from 2008 to 2018. On December 21, 2018, the JJDPA was reauthorized as the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-385). This article documents racial and ethnic overrepresentation over time, examines the philosophy shifts in juvenile justice and DMC/RED policy changes including the progression from DMC to RED, and provides evidence-based recommendations to reduce RED for all social workers.