54
KIDS COUNT IN NEBRASKA 2011 REPORT
of these persons sentenced to life without parole as juve-
pervasive and troubling. It is critical that data are collected
niles are Black, 13 are White, 1 is Hispanic and 1 is Native
and analyzed at every phase of the juvenile justice process
American. Eighteen were sentenced in Douglas County.
to identify at what point of interaction with the system the
19
disparate outcomes are taking place. Table 4.10 presents Racial Disparities in the Juvenile Justice System
data on juvenile interaction with the justice system by race.
Nationally, the problem of the overrepresentation of youth of color in our juvenile and adult criminal justice systems is
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, DHHS, “Nebraska Safety Intervention System - Assessment Overview,” http://www.hhs.state. ne.us/jus/memos/NSIS-AO.pdf. 1
2
Ibid.
Robert B. Hill, Ph.D., Senior Researcher, Westat, “Synthesis of Research on Disproportionality in Child Welfare: An Update,” Casey-CSSP Alliance for Racial Equity in the Child Welfare System, October 2006. 11
Ibid. 12
3
J.M. Gaudin Jr., U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Child Neglect, A Guide for Intervention,” 1993, http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/ usermanuals/neglect/neglectb.cfm.
13
Wendy A. Walsh, “Hard Times Made Harder: Struggling Caregivers and Child Neglect,” Carsey Institute Issue Brief No. 19, Fall 2010.
14
4
5
J.M. Gaudin Jr., “Child Neglect, A Guide for Intervention.”
Sarah E. Evans, Corrie Davies and David DiLillo, “Exposure to Domestic Violence: A Meta-Analysis of Child and Adolescent Outcomes,” Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2008. 6
One local domestic violence/sexual assault program was dissolved as of June 30, 2010. That service area is now covered by another program. The services offered by the original program between October 2009 – June 2010 are reflected in this report. 7
Program statistics were compiled by the Nebraska Domestic Violence Sex ual Assault Coalition (NDVSAC), 2010. This report includes the statistics provided to the NDVSAC by the local domestic violence/sexual assault pro grams. These numbers reflect only the services provided by the programs to the NDVSAC. They do not include services provided to victims/survivors by other agencies (i.e., police, medical). Therefore, this information should be seen as a conservative estimate. The actual number of victims, survivors, and services provided in Nebraska is likely to be much greater. 8
9
2010 U.S. Census of Population, Summary File 1, Tables P12A-P12I.
Percentage of children of color was calculated by subtracting the number of White, Not Hispanic children from the total, and then dividing by the total. 10
“Child Welfare Information Gateway: Infant Safe Haven Laws, State Statute Series,” http://www/childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/ safehaven.cfm. “Less Guilty by Reason of Adolescence,” MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice, Issue Brief No. 3, available at www.adjj.org/downloads/6093issue_brief_3.pdf. 15 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, November 30, 2007, “Effects on Violence of Laws and Policies Facilitating the Transfer of Youth From the Juvenile to the Adult Justice System: A Report on Recommendations of the Task Force on Community Prevention Services,” Morbidity and Mor tality Weekly Report, Vol. 56, No. RR-9, available at www.cdc.gov/mmwR/ pdf/rr/rr5609.pdf. 16 Graham v. Florida. 2009. http://www.supremecourtgovopinions/09pdf/08 7412.pdf. 17 Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, “CSPV Fact Sheet, Ju dicial Waivers: Youth in Adult Courts,” FS-008, 1999, available at www. colorado.edu/cspv.
Fagan, J., M. Frost, and T.S. Vivona, “Youth in Prisons and Training Schools: Perceptions and Consequences of the Treatment-Custody Di chotomy,” Juvenile and Family Court, 1989, as qtd in The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2008 KIDS COUNT Data Book. 18
Coalition for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, with data from the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. 19