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For Justice, Fairness & Equity
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About the W. Haywood Burns Institute
Our philosophy is simple — Incarceration is harmful to the positive development of our children; Data is key towards an understanding the complexities of racial inequity within the youth justice system; and Local communities can play a critical role in transformational change.
A Brief History of Youth of Color in the Justice System
Today, more than 2 million people are incarcerated and more than 7 million are on probation, parole, or other supervision in the United States. Too much of the analysis about how we arrived at this situation and what should be done about it is ahistorical.
Mapping the Youth Incarceration Problem
With 75 percent of youth locked up for non-violent offenses, our country doesn't have an alarming crime problem. We have an incarceration problem.
Improving the Well-Being of Children of Color
The child well-being framework firmly asserts the rights of all young people, regardless of their race and ethnicity, to be viewed as children who are experiencing a normal adolescent journey and to be treated with fairness and equity.
Unbalanced Juvenile Justice
News & Updates
Direct File Rates Arbitrarily Rising for Youth of Color
Prosecutors are directly filing charges against youth in adult court at greater rates, while juvenile crime has gone down, most heavily impacting youth of color.
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New BI Report Highlights Troubling Trends in Youth of Color Incarceration
While the overall rate of incarceration of all youth has decreased by 55% since 1997, the rate of incarceration of youth of color continues to rise, marking an alarming pattern.
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