An exploration of disproportionate minority contact from the perspectives of Youth

Following the overrepresentation of minority youth in detention, the 1988 Juvenile Justice Delinquency Act added a requirement that states identify the existence of and make efforts to reduce Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC). Nearing 30 years since the federal government has mandated state and localities to address the issue, DMC continues to pervade all points of contact in the juvenile justice system. DMC literature has been saturated with quantitative studies relying on statistical means with less of a focus on qualitative methods, and most importantly missing input from the perspectives of youth. This study aims to draw on voices of youth to better understand from their perspective the causes of DMC and solutions to reduce or eliminate the disparity. Focus groups and one-on-one interviews were the primary methods of inquiry and the sample comprised of individuals from community organizations that typically serve the most vulnerable populations in Salt Lake County. The findings from this study have implications for policy and practice.