Are minorities over-represented in the juvenile justice system?
ANSWER In the United States, there is a strong disproportionate minority confinement. African-American and Latino youth are over-represented at every level of the juvenile justice system. State studies have shown that minority youth are less likely to be released pending trial, less likely to be represented by a lawyer, more likely to be convicted, and more likely to be sentenced to secure detention than their white counterparts who commit the same kind of offense. Nonwhite youth are more likely to be placed in public secure facilities, while white youth are more likely to be housed in private facilities or diverted from the juvenile justice system.
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