African American teens are 2.3 times more likely to get arrested in Georgia than Caucasian teens, and 5.5 times more likely to land in adult court, according to the latest numbers from the Governor's Office for Children and Families. This level of disproportionate minority contact (DMC) is not unique to Georgia. It’s a problem across the country. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is launching a study to reduce the number of minorities in contact with the juvenile justice system. The agency has awarded a 3-year grant to Development Services Group, Inc., a Maryland consulting company. The mission is to compare the rates of contact with the justice system for white and minority teens. Researchers will study what happens at nine different points of contact from arrest, to diversion, to detention, imprisonment or transfer to adult court. They hope to identify promising programs that states like Georgia can use to end the DMC problem.
Disproportionate Minority Study
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