The Political Dynamics of Justice Reform in The U.S.
The Political Dynamics of Justice Reform in The U.S.
The Political Dynamics of Justice Reform in The U.S.
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To Harp, every issue <strong>in</strong> juvenile justice, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g racial disparities, should be looked at<br />
through the lens <strong>of</strong> public safety and <strong>of</strong>fender accountability. Local jurisdictions have<br />
“drifted a bit to a focus on avoid<strong>in</strong>g arrests at all costs,” she said <strong>in</strong> a March<br />
<strong>in</strong>terview with the Juvenile <strong>Justice</strong> Information Exchange, a news and commentary<br />
website. “It went a little too far to the side <strong>of</strong> provid<strong>in</strong>g services.”<br />
Youth advocates counter that work<strong>in</strong>g to keep juveniles <strong>of</strong> color out <strong>of</strong> lockup has<br />
noth<strong>in</strong>g to do with public safety. Black children get <strong>in</strong>to fights, steal property, carry<br />
weapons and use and sell drugs at about the same rates as white kids, accord<strong>in</strong>g to an<br />
analysis <strong>of</strong> federal data by the Sentenc<strong>in</strong>g Project—they just get disproportionately<br />
policed for it.<br />
Under the Juvenile <strong>Justice</strong> and Del<strong>in</strong>quency Prevention Act, first passed <strong>in</strong> 1974, the<br />
agency now run by Harp must ensure four “core protections” for children: not lock<strong>in</strong>g<br />
them up for age-based “status <strong>of</strong>fenses” such as truancy, runn<strong>in</strong>g away and curfew<br />
violations; remov<strong>in</strong>g them from adult jails, with few exceptions; always keep<strong>in</strong>g them<br />
separate from adult <strong>in</strong>mates; and ensur<strong>in</strong>g that states research and address racial<br />
disparities.<br />
S<strong>in</strong>ce 2000, states have seen considerable success <strong>in</strong> meet<strong>in</strong>g the first three objectives.<br />
Many have raised the age at which kids are sent to adult facilities, and the number <strong>of</strong><br />
youth <strong>in</strong>carcerated for status <strong>of</strong>fenses has been cut to just a few hundred nationally.<br />
But three current <strong>of</strong>ficials <strong>in</strong> the Office <strong>of</strong> <strong>Justice</strong> Programs, which oversees the juvenile<br />
justice <strong>of</strong>fice, concede it has fallen short on the racial justice provision. <strong>The</strong> law is vague<br />
about how exactly local agencies must address disparities, and budgets relatively little<br />
money to fix such an entrenched problem. Some grants to state youth-justice systems<br />
are as small as $400,000, yet are meant to pay for a range <strong>of</strong> services <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g afterschool<br />
and anti-gang programs, job tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g, drug treatment, mentor<strong>in</strong>g and legal<br />
defense for juveniles.<br />
“Congress doesn’t care about juvenile justice—that’s the underly<strong>in</strong>g issue here,” said<br />
one <strong>of</strong> the <strong>of</strong>ficials, who decl<strong>in</strong>ed to be named for fear <strong>of</strong> jeopardiz<strong>in</strong>g their employment.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re’s also the challenge <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>correct or <strong>in</strong>complete data report<strong>in</strong>g. While states like<br />
Wash<strong>in</strong>gton assemble thorough statistics on racial trends, others, especially <strong>in</strong> the<br />
South, have not.<br />
Some <strong>in</strong>siders at the agency were heartened when Harp came <strong>in</strong> and said she’d be<br />
simplify<strong>in</strong>g th<strong>in</strong>gs.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>of</strong>fice is known for frequent budget delays and leadership changes and blunders,<br />
<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g from an Obama-era adm<strong>in</strong>istrator who employees said know<strong>in</strong>gly accepted<br />
bad data from states but gave them fund<strong>in</strong>g anyway. After Chuck Grassley, now<br />
chairman <strong>of</strong> the Senate Judiciary Committee, repeatedly wrote to the <strong>Justice</strong><br />
Department <strong>in</strong> 2014 and 2015 accus<strong>in</strong>g it <strong>of</strong> mismanag<strong>in</strong>g the grant program, the<br />
agency overreacted by enforc<strong>in</strong>g cumbersome procedures, some <strong>of</strong>ficials believed.<br />
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