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THE ROLE OF SCIENCE IN REDUCING RACIAL AND ETHNIC DISPARITIES IN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2018

Nancy Rodriguez
Nancy Rodriguez*
Affiliation:
Department of Criminology, Law and Society, University of California, Irvine
*
*Corresponding author: Nancy Rodriguez, Ph.D., Department of Criminology, Law and Society, University of California, Irvine, 3375 Social Ecology II, Irvine, CA 92697–7080. E-mail: nancy.r@uci.edu.
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Abstract

In recent years, we have witnessed various efforts by the federal government to advance our justice system and improve public safety. Collaborations across justice and service agencies and research on what works in criminal justice policy have been central in criminal justice reform activities. Within the juvenile justice arena, reducing rates of victimization and delinquency, as well as implementing strategies to reduce racial and ethnic disparities remain priorities. In this essay, I discuss how research on neuroscience and brain development, and racial and ethnic disparities in justice system outcomes has informed juvenile justice policy and procedural protections for youth. I also review how school policies and practices can perpetuate racial and ethnic disparities in justice outcomes. Throughout the essay, I discuss the federal government’s role in supporting research to advance policies and practices designed to reduce these harms. I highlight the implications of these activities and ways in which data and research can continue to play a key role in realizing equal opportunity and justice for all youth, especially as they are the most vulnerable members of society.

Keywords

Juvenile JusticeDelinquencyRacial and Ethnic DisparitiesDepartment of JusticeNational Institute of Justice
Type
Critical Views on Race, Rights, and Criminal Justice
Information
Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race , Volume 15 , Issue 1 , Spring 2018 , pp. 195 - 204
Copyright
Copyright © Hutchins Center for African and African American Research 2018 

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