County studying racial disparity in juvenile justice system
Jan 19, 2017 19:01:13 GMT
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Post by ck4829 on Jan 19, 2017 19:01:13 GMT
Hispanic and African-American youths in Johnson County have disproportionately more contact with the juvenile justice system than their white peers, according to statistics compiled since 2008.
The difference is big enough and persistent enough that county officials have decided to dive deeper into the problem in an effort to do something about it.
To that end, the county accepted a $200,000 federal grant for an “intensive site engagement” study into county policies that could affect disparity. The Title II grant will pay for an 18-month comprehensive look at all aspects of the county’s juvenile justice system.
The county commission unanimously backed the new study.
Commissioner John Toplikar expressed surprise at the extent of the problem. The statistics are, “alarming and disturbing and I think a lot of people would be surprised to see those numbers here in Johnson County because it’s something that isn’t talked about publicly,” he said.
County corrections director Betsy Gillespie hopes to get input for the project from city and county law enforcement, judicial and corrections officers, as well as school districts and other entities that have contact with the juvenile justice system.
In doing so, the county will become one of 55 in the nation to take on an in-depth study. “We are one of these counties that does not ignore our problems,” Gillespie said. “We don’t know what the cause of our problems is, so we will dig down further.”
www.kansascity.com/news/local/community/joco-913/article127204054.html
The difference is big enough and persistent enough that county officials have decided to dive deeper into the problem in an effort to do something about it.
To that end, the county accepted a $200,000 federal grant for an “intensive site engagement” study into county policies that could affect disparity. The Title II grant will pay for an 18-month comprehensive look at all aspects of the county’s juvenile justice system.
The county commission unanimously backed the new study.
Commissioner John Toplikar expressed surprise at the extent of the problem. The statistics are, “alarming and disturbing and I think a lot of people would be surprised to see those numbers here in Johnson County because it’s something that isn’t talked about publicly,” he said.
County corrections director Betsy Gillespie hopes to get input for the project from city and county law enforcement, judicial and corrections officers, as well as school districts and other entities that have contact with the juvenile justice system.
In doing so, the county will become one of 55 in the nation to take on an in-depth study. “We are one of these counties that does not ignore our problems,” Gillespie said. “We don’t know what the cause of our problems is, so we will dig down further.”
www.kansascity.com/news/local/community/joco-913/article127204054.html
