Disproportionate Processing of Alaska Native Youth

Principal investigator(s): N.E. Schafer
Other project personnel: Cassie Atwell
Richard Curtis
Project dates: Apr 1, 1996 - Jun 30, 1997
JC#: 9501.02
Agency: Through a gift from Cook Inlet Region, Inc.
to the UA Fund
Project amount: $22,642
Project status: Completed

See also:

 

Detention data processed by the Justice Center reveals that disproportionate numbers of Alaska Native youth are detained in Alaska. Preliminary reports by the Division of Family and Youth Services indicate that Native youth may be disproportionately adjudicated and institutionalized as well. The project was based on detention collected during annual juvenile jail monitoring activities; additional data was collected from case files.

This project studied race disparities in the Alaska juvenile justice system in an attempt to determine what the differentials are, where (in the system) they occur and what social or legal factors can be associated with the disproportionate representation of Alaska Native youth in Alaska's juvenile system.

The project included a review of the literature, with particular attention to Native Americans as a minority and literature related to Alaska specifically; collection and reanalysis of relevant data bases; and a thorough review and comparison of the referral histories of a Native youth population randomly selected from the data bases with a matched sample of white youth. Matches were made on age, gender, and type of offense.

Products

Reports

Disproportionate Representation of Minorities in the Alaska Juvenile Justice System: Phase I Report by N. E. Schafer, Richard W. Curtis, and Cassie Atwell. Anchorage, AK: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, Sep 1997.

A Comparison by Race of Juvenile Referrals in Alaska: Phase II Report by N. E. Schafer. Anchorage, AK: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, May 1998.

Articles

"Juvenile Referrals: An in-Depth Look" by N. E. Schafer. Alaska Justice Forum 15(1): 2-5 (Spring 1998).

"Minorities Referred at Higher Rates: Analysis of DFYS Data" by N. E. Schafer and Richard W. Curtis. Alaska Justice Forum 14(3): 2-4 (Fall 1997).

Press releases

"Disproportionate Referrals of Alaska Native and African American Youth" (press release). 25 Jun 1997.

"Juvenile Referrals in Alaska Examined by Race" (press release). 8 Jun 1998.

Conference papers

"A Comparison by Race of Juvenile Referrals in Alaska" by N. E. Schafer. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Albuquerque, Mar 1998.

"Disproportionate Minority Processing of Females: A Comparison of Native, Black and White Females" by N. E. Schafer. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Washington, DC, Nov 1998.

"A Preliminary Examination of Minority Referrals to the Alaska Juvenile Justice System" by N. E. Schafer; Richard W. Curtis; and Cassie Atwell. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Criminal Justice Association, Cincinnati, Oct 1997.