Reducing Disproportionate Minority Contact: Preparation at the Local Level

Abstract

Disproportionate minority contact (DMC) refers to the disproportionate rep­ resentation of minority youth in the juvenile justice system. DMC first came to national attention in 1988, when the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (formerly the National Coalition of State Juvenile Justice Advisory Groups) focused on the problem in its annual report to Congress. In response to the report, Congress required that all States receiving formula grant funds address dispro­ portionality among detained and confined youth. In 1992, Congress elevated DMC to a core requirement for States. Under the Juvenile Justice and Delin­ quency Prevention Act of 2002, if a State fails to address the overrepresentation of minority youth in the juvenile justice system, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) may withhold 20 percent of the State’s for­ mula grant allocation for the subsequent year. The Act expanded the requirement to include disproportionality at all points in the juvenile justice system.