Abstract
This study examined legal and extralegal factors, specifically race, and their effects on processing and sanctions for 2,233 African American and Caucasian males in Virginia’s juvenile justice system. Qualitative findings from in-depth interviews with juvenile judges, Commonwealth’s attorneys, defense attorneys, police officers, juveniles and their families triangulate the quantitative findings. Crime severity was the only factor which affected the likelihood of diversion; whereas race, grade repeated, prior record, and crime severity increased the likelihood of incarceration through two logistic regression models. Stakeholders added discussion regarding family structure and education. As social work practice intersects with juvenile justice through multiple avenues, the implications of these findings are discussed.
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McCarter, S.A. Legal and Extralegal Factors Affecting Minority Overrepresentation in Virginia’s Juvenile Justice System: A Mixed-Method Study. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 26, 533–544 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-009-0185-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-009-0185-x