Thank you James for your comment. From reading your pieces, I think we both agree that our efforts to end racial disparities are not currently working and that simply lowering arrest rates is not a sufficient solution in and of itself. Reducing negative outcomes is definitely not enough if race (class, ability, gender) are not taken into account on how the plans to reduce such outcomes are carried out.
I think instead, it shows us that we must take deeper approaches to how we undo institutional and structural racism. A racial impact statement on a juvenile justice law will not capture or reduce all of our problems if we do not for example work on the underlying problems creating the school to prison pipeline. I think anyone paying attention or living in this world as a person of color is well aware of the limited opportunities presented for people of color and the higher likelihood of being in contact with the police. Instead my conclusion is that in reducing arrest rates, we have done this for certain communities, white youth. This report lays out more information on the situation in Seattle, WA created with some of our top social science researchers such as Katherine Beckett: “PRELIMINARY REPORT ON RACE AND WASHINGTON’S CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM”. I appreciate dialoging on this. And I think that solutions such as those proposed http://rightoncrime.com/category/priority-issues/juvenile-justice/ here by Right On Crime for example, would help reduce disparities if the programs were informed by race. By informed I mean understanding institutional and structural racism and the outcomes of this racism on individuals and our systems.
"A child's well-being is intricately linked to his/her parent's well-being."
Formerly Incarcerated & Convicted People's Movement Western Regional Conference
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