A study completed in November by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health suggests the racial make-up of a neighborhood may have a greater influence on the racial disparities in youth arrests than poverty, unemployment, vacant housing or school quality.

The study, “Understanding Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Arrest: The Role of Individual, Home, School, and Community Characteristics,” uses data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) and examines a range of factors at the individual, home, school, and community level and its effect on youth arrest. This includes characteristics such as delinquent behavior, parent education, school size, and community unemployment.

On January 24 of this year, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution to “advance a comprehensive, coordinated and expanded approach to youth diversion across Los Angeles County, with a goal of minimizing youth contact with the juvenile or criminal justice system.” This integrated approach calls for community-based groups, school districts, and local police departments among others to work together to keep young people out of the juvenile justice system.

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December 2016, Volume 8, Issue 4, pp 296–312, please click here.