5002-Policy Analysis & Recommendations

Policy Analysis and Recommendations Student’s Name Institution Course Number and Name Instructor’s Name Date Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Social Justice Issue: Overrepresentation of Youth of Color in the JJS PAGEREF _Toc160529694 \h 3Enacted Policy and Supported Programs PAGEREF _Toc160529695 \h 4JJDPA’s Connection with Overrepresentation of Youth of Color PAGEREF _Toc160529696 \h 6The Development of JJDPA PAGEREF _Toc160529697 \h 7Effectiveness of JJDPA in Helping Youth of Color PAGEREF _Toc160529698 \h 8Feasibility of JJDPA PAGEREF _Toc160529699 \h 10Policy Constraints Limiting Effectiveness of JJDPA. PAGEREF _Toc160529700 \h 10Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc160529701 \h 11Recommendations PAGEREF _Toc160529702 \h 12References PAGEREF _Toc160529703 \h 14 Social Justice Issue: Overrepresentation of Youth of Color in the JJS The overrepresentation of youth of color in America’s juvenile justice system (JJS) is a serious problem that has significant implications for involved individuals, parents, and communities. Young people’s interaction with the JJS is characterized by racial disparities, with youth of color being overrepresented (McCoy & Pearson., 2019; Dragomir & Tadros, 2020). In this sense, racial inequity in the JJS in a key form of oppression that subjugates people of color in the US. As noted by Washington et al. (2021), the interaction of youth of color with the legal system is characterized multiple biases against them by legal actors such as probation officers, lawyers, judges, and law enforcement officers. Although the youth of color make up 34% of the population, the JJS charges 62% of them (Dragomir & Tadros, 2020). Compared to White juveniles, Black juveniles are detained five times more, while Hispanic youth are detained two and a half times more. It is important to recognize that juvenile involvement with the justice system has significant unwelcome consequences, such as reduced graduation and employment rates, poorer familial relationships, and higher violence rates (Dragomir & Tadros, 2020). In essence, the racial inequity that oppresses young people of color has long-lasting negative impacts. According to Washington et al. (2021), racial injustice in the juvenile legal system is present in arrest, ability to receive sufficient legal representation, adjudication, and arraignment. Regardless of the crime committed, Latino and Black youth have historically received harsher punishment than White youth (Washington et al., 2021). In essence, facts show that youth of color face significant racial inequities courtesy of the JJS. The prison-like practices in the American public education system are modeled after the JJS, meaning that practices such as locker searches, metal detectors, pat downs, and use of security cameras are there to criminalize the young people who are required to undergo them (Washington et al., 2021). Compared to white students, Black students are subjected to more pat-downs and locker searches within the same school (Washington et al., 2021). Therefore, the oppressive nature of the American juvenile system impacts the practices in public schools, with youth of color being on the receiving end. The oppression extends to the mental health of youth of color, with those incarcerated being more likely to have mental illness compared to those who are not (Washington et al., 2021). Interestingly, the mental health system underserves people of color, which means that they are more likely to participate in behaviors that raise their likelihood of getting involved with the JJS (McCoy & Pearson., 2019). In this case, both the mental health system and the JJS combine to negatively influence the the lives of youth of color. The overrepresentation of people of color can be attributed to a long-standing system characterized by prejudice and racism. According to Scott-Jones and Kamara (2020), ever since slavery, African Americans have been significantly impacted by structural racism. Therefore, the overrepresentation of youth of color in the justice system can be traced back to the shameful slavery period. As Scott-Jones and Kamara (2020) assert, the marginalization of blacks has been normalized across institutions and systems in America. The issue of overrepresentation of people of color has been influenced to a great extent by systemic racism that can be traced back to the slavery period. Enacted Policy and Supported Programs A currently enacted policy that seeks to address the overrepresentation of youth of color in America's JJS is the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (JJDPA). The policy provides a framework through which federal and state governments can partner to administer juvenile justice and prevent delinquency (US Congress, 2018). Specifically, the policy seeks to support tribal, local, and state initiatives that prevent the involvement of juveniles in delinquent behaviors (US Congress, 2018). In addition, the program seeks to support evidence-based approaches designed to address the needs of youths who get involved with the justice system and those at risk of such involvement (US Congress, 2018). Since its enactment in 1974, the policy has undergone several reauthorizations and amendments. A key part of the JJDPA is the creation of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) under the US Justice Department to oversee the implementation of the law in addressing and preventing juvenile delinquency (US Congress, 2018). In this sense, the OJJDP supports several programs and initiatives tailored toward addressing juvenile justice challenges. Some of these programs include the Formula Grants Program, gang violence prevention program, racial and ethnic disparities (RED), and mentoring programs (US Department of Justice, 2019). The Formula Grants Program is especially significant in incentivizing states to undertake delinquency initiatives and prevention efforts. In this case, the OJJDP provides funding to states when they fulfill its requirements, such as involvement in job training, substance abuse initiatives, mental health treatment programs, and reentry/aftercare services (OJJDP, n.d.). Given the primary objectives of averting delinquency and enhancing the JJS, the target population for most of the programs is young people aged between 10 and 18 years. Other programs provided by the agency not mentioned above include Runaway and Homeless Youth, Youth Reentry and Family Engagement, and Tribal Youth Programs (US Department of Justice, 2019). As the names of these programs suggest, they are primarily targeted at the youth that have been in contact with the JJS or face the possibility of such contact. JJDPA’s Connection with Overrepresentation of Youth of Color The overrepresentation of youth of color in the system is a challenge that the JJDPA was mandated to solve as per several amendments to the law. Literature has consistently shown that racial disparities characterize the involvement of youth of color with the JJS at almost every stage. According to McCarter and Durant (2022), youth of color have been constantly overrepresented in the American JJS since 1899. In 1983, while children of color made up 32% of the juvenile population, 53% of them were locked up in secure detention, while 56% were present in juvenile correctional facilities (McCarter & Durant., 2022). In 1991, while the proportion of the population remained the same, 65% of youth placed secure confinement facilities were youth of color. In 2014, black youth experienced almost triple delinquency rates (75.1 per 1000 black youth population) compared to white youth (24.1) [McCarter & Durant., 2022]. Even in the 2021 data, African Americans were 4.7 times more likely as their white counterparts to be committed or detained in juvenile centers (Rovner, 2023). Therefore, the problem overrepresentation of youth of color in the system is an old one that has never been resolved. What is troubling about these statistics is that youth of color commit neither more crimes nor more severe crimes to warrant overrepresentation in the system (McCarter & Durant., 2022). In essence, it is safe to say that despite decades of the policy's existence, it has not been effective in addressing the racial disparities in the JJS. As the policy that governs juvenile justice, it is the mandate of JJDPA to ensure that justice is actually served for people of color. In this case, the JJS should ensure that a youth’s skin color does not determine their involvement with the system. Although the law was enacted in 1974, amendments made in 1988, 2002, and 2018 sought to reduce the rates of disproportionate minority contact (DMC) with the American JJS (McCoy & Pearson, 2019). With each amendment to the law, the OJJDP's role in addressing racial and ethnic disparities increases. On the agency's website...