Disproportionate Minority Contact in the Juvenile Justice System: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

This paper reports on a systematic review and meta-analysis of disproportionate minority contact in the juvenile justice system. A total of 79 independent samples were analyzed from the 67 studies that met the criteria for inclusion in the meta-analyses. Meta-analytic techniques were used to examine the overall effects of race/ethnicity at the six major decision points in the juvenile justice system: detention, intake, petition, waiver, adjudication, and placement. Moderator analyses were also performed to explore heterogeneity of effects by study design features. Findings indicated small average effects for some outcomes (e.g., detention) and no discernible average effect on others (e.g., petition, waiver, adjudication). There was also substantial heterogeneity across studies, although moderator analyses did not detect any clear patterns. The findings suggest that future research must focus on the specific outcomes in which disparities occur, as well as their practical significance given small effect sizes.