The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice has partnered with the Florida State University’s College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, to conduct a 12-month study to address the overrepresentation of minority youth in Florida’s juvenile justice system. The purpose of this project is to examine the influence of community context as well as legal factors on the disparate treatment of racial and ethnic youth in the Florida juvenile justice system. Prior research has consistently demonstrated that racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately involved in the criminal justice system and although the disparities are not as wide as they were in the 1990s, to date, few studies have explored whether community context influences criminal justice outcomes among juvenile offenders. The results will provide important insights into the role of community in shaping crime and justice outcomes among juvenile minority offenders.
Contacts
Principal Investigator: Patricia Y. Warren, Ph.D.
Co-Principal Investigator: Eric A. Stewart, Ph.D.
Graduate Student: Jordyn L. Rosario
Funding Agency: Florida Department of Juvenile Justice
Dates: 2016 – 2017