Addressing Racial Disparities in the Juvenile Justice System: Understanding Root Causes, Implications, and Promising Solutions

Abstract

This article explores the racial disparities within the youth rehabilitative system, which are rooted within the system itself, and they are pervasive and lead to a number of implications with the potential solutions identified. The article will arrive at its conclusion by means of qualitative research and doctrinal analysis that will reveal the complex network of social, economic, and institutional causes of the inequity. Social, legislative, and economic settings are the lens through which historical context, legislative interventions, and socioeconomic factors affecting biases emanating from institutional settings are examined. It is through the demeaning school-to-prison pipeline and zero-tolerance approach that the negative effect of such policies is demonstrated, thus indicating an emphasis on reform. Seemingly feasible answers such as administrative reform and neighborhood initiatives and their impact on the affected populations are also addressed. Through the providers of case studies, the piece acknowledges successes in the steps and barriers to implementation, which may be taken as recommendations for achieving equity and justice for all youths.