The Racial and Ethnic Disparities (RED) Advisory Committee is a branch of the Utah Board of Juvenile Justice (UBJJ) that was created to help address the fourth core protection of the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA). This requires states to assess and address racial and ethnic disparities at key points in the youth justice system. While the genesis to the creation of the RED Advisory Committee was a federal mandate, there is unified commitment across all juvenile justice stakeholders to tackle the overrepresentation of minority youth across systems. As such, local RED Working Groups have been established in Salt Lake, Utah, and Weber counties as they currently have the highest concentrated youth of color populations. Members are comprised of youth, juvenile justice practitioners, educators, and community-based leaders and advocates.

The state of Utah, CCJJ, UBJJ, and the RED Advisory Committee has invested funding to various initiatives with the goal of eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in the justice system. These initiatives include policies, evaluations, studies, and more.

It is critical for RED initiatives to not only take place at the state and policy level but also in the local communities. These place-based interventions are imperative to initiate change where youths and families reside and are the most impacted.