A focus on equity
Full Report
Underlying the challenge of addressing RED in the juvenile justice system requires a careful understanding of the context in which the disproportionalities among youth occur beyond the front-end contact with the system. In doing so, this creates an intersectional framework for understanding how inequality proliferates across youth outcomes particularly that of racial and ethnic minority youth across multiple dimensions in physical, behavioral, and mental health, education, and risks factors for delinquency.
Policy Toolkits
While reversing inequalities at birth for minority youth are beyond the scope of the juvenile justice system, what is concretely possible is reorienting current policy to invest in evidence-based policy interventions that create social buffers and protective factors for youth, their families, and communities. The following policy toolkits, in conjunction with the full report, serves as a guiding tool to ensure that disparities are not only exacerbated but to guide meaningful policy discussions on innovative interventions within the stakeholder’s jurisdiction and to guide meaningful collaborations across agencies to develop a robust continuum of care for youth in Utah. Each policy toolkit featured below has been uniquely customized with relevant policy strategies for each of the identified stakeholders in reducing RED in the juvenile justice system.
Front-End
The first stakeholder category is the “Front-end” which consists of leadership in education to community-based organizations.
Learn MoreGatekeepers
The second category is the “Gatekeepers” which includes stakeholders such as the leadership of law enforcement agencies to school-resource officers.
Learn MoreBack-End
The third category is the “Back-end” which includes stakeholders from Juvenile Justice Services to probation officers and any staff from the Juvenile Court who have contact with youth.
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