Introduction
Lead by a carefully selected Steering Committee and partnered with an extensive Advisory Board of key system leaders, the Baltimore City Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Reduction Initiative's activities are geared toward creating an equitable and fair system of juvenile justice. Together, we are constantly strategizing to reduce the unnecessary and inappropriate use of detention for Baltimore City youth of color, as well as advocating for objective decision making at all points of contact.
We have developed a strategic plan to address and modify system policies and practices that contribute to disproportionality. We have also developed a DMC Education and Outreach Campaign to meaningfully and relevantly engage parents, youth, service providers and other non-traditional stakeholders in DMC activities. Through this campaign, we continue to partner with agencies and community venues to conduct a series of thought provoking and educational DMC workshops as an effort to engage stakeholders and raise awareness of DMC in Baltimore City.
This is an exciting time for us as we continue to strategize, develop and launch new initiatives and directions to reduce the racial disparities within our Baltimore City juvenile justice system. With our continued focus on community programming, rehabilitation and treatment for all youth, based upon national best practices in detention reform, we hope to increase community support and protection. I sincerely hope that you will deem this introduction a worthy cause and opportunity to spread the word.
Please call (410-662-5500 x240) or email , DMC/Juvenile Justice Coordinator, if you have any questions or would like to obtain further details about the initiative.
» back to top
You'll need to install the Adobe Flash Player to view these videos.
Install Flash Player: 
You may have to restart your browser to complete the installation.
Did You Know?
What is Disproportionate Minority Contact?
When a racial/ethnic group’s representation in confinement exceeds their representation in the general population.
Did you know?...African American youth make up 74% of Baltimore City general population, yet they represent 97-99% of incarcerated youth.
What is Disparity?
Different treatment of individuals who are similarly situated or who have common characteristics.
Did you know?...3 out of 4 African American youth arrested go to detention, while 1 out of 4 get treatment. Meanwhile, 3 out of 4 Caucasian youth arrested receive treatment, while 1 out of 4 get locked up.
What are the appropriate uses for detention?
- For youth who pose a significant risk to public safety
- For youth who pose a flight risk
What are the common misuses of detention?
- Youth who are low risk but have high needs
- Youth who have inadequate supervision at home
Did you know?...In Baltimore City in the last 6 months,(July-December 2007) 598 youth spent at least 1 night in detention due to a parents refusal or inability to pick them up.
What do we need to do?
- Reduce the number of Youth of Color in Detention
- Reduce the percentage of Youth of Color in Detention
- Reduce the inappropriate Detentions of Youth of Color
- Reduce the disproportionate number of Youth of Color being charged as Adults
» back to top
Goals & Objectives
The Baltimore City DMC Reduction Initiative supports specific goals of the DMC Advisory Board to reduce over-representation of Baltimore City youth of color in the juvenile justice system. The DMC recommendations were developed from the suggested Detention Assessment Framework developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the W. Hayward Burns Institute. The recommendations also serve as objectives for the below-outlined DMC goals, the core topics of which include the following:
- Elimination of bias in detention admissions screening Goal 1
- Intentional and DMC-specific collaboration Goal 2
- Reliance upon data Goal 3
- Viable alternatives to detention Goal 4
- Equalizing case processing Goal 5
- Ensuring acceptable confinement conditions Goal 6
- Reducing special detention cases Goal 7
GOAL 1: To ensure that the front gates of the juvenile justice system (detention) will be objectively and equitably controlled through consistent monitoring and modification of admissions screening instruments, adoption of quality controls, and monitoring of staff compliance with established protocols.
- In order to support monitoring of screening instrument effects, DJS should administer a RAI for every child presented at the doors of intake for a secure detention decision.
- All system agencies should adopt procedures that will help to foster an agency culture that is data-driven, objective, committed to the value of least restrictive, and inclusive of staff insights. Suggested strategies include:
- Train all personnel in data-driven decision-making;
- Involve supervisors and staff in detention screening instrument reviews and modifications to secure buy-in and active commitment to the values of objectivity and least restrictive setting;
- Develop written protocols for administrative and quality controls in the detention screening processes; and
- Develop an oversight plan for compliance with protocols.
» back to top
GOAL 2: To ensure that DMC reduction is a joint responsibility and priority of the entire Baltimore City JDAI collaborative, in which there is mutual understanding and agreement about inappropriate and unnecessary uses of secure detention, and all JDAI committees, subcommittees and workgroups adopt an intentional focus to reduce DMC.
- All JDAI Committees should include DMC as a core value of their respective detention reform tasks, to include all committee reports, recommendations, work plans, and goals and objectives.
- MOU Partners should commit to a process of consensus building on the inappropriate and unnecessary uses of secure detention and value of least restrictive setting.
- All JDAI Committees should expand their membership to include parents, service providers, youth and community leaders.
» back to top
GOAL 3: To ensure that there is greater system reliance upon data to guide decision-making, identify detention trends and patterns, and inform the development of DMC reduction strategies at the system and community levels.
- The Department should develop fundamental quarterly management reports on detention utilization statistics by race, ethnicity, gender, geography and offense to inform system policy and practice.
- All system data-gathering agencies should disaggregate data by race, ethnicity, gender, geography and offense.
» back to top
GOAL 4: To ensure that there is a viable continuum of measurable, cultural and racial relevant detention alternatives for youth who would otherwise be detained, and that these alternatives are developed in working partnership with community-based providers who demonstrate accessibility and capacity to work effectively with the target population.
- In order to decrease the risk and occurrences of community detention violations, judicial agencies should agree to expedite the cases of community detention youth (e.g., speedy trial).
- In order to ensure that the Evening Reporting Centers are utilized by youth who would otherwise be detained, DJS should clearly define the target youth population and develop written criteria for determining youth eligibility.
- The Day and Evening Reporting Center(s) should be community-based and community-operated in accordance with best practices and model programs in other JDAI sites.
- The JDAI Executive Committee should immediately adopt the specific recommendations of the Alternatives to Detention Committee that require the least amount of financial resources, and should not reject all other detention alternative innovations solely on the basis of resource availability. The identification and implementation of alternatives should be community-driven and community-inclusive processes.
» back to top
GOAL 5: To ensure that justice and public safety decisions within the Baltimore City juvenile system are administered consistently and equitably by mapping and analyzing system decision points for racial disparities, and identifying unnecessary case processing delays and other practices that potentially push kids into detention.
- All Baltimore City system stakeholders should have written policies and practices concerning case processing, including time frames for each of the case processing steps.
- All juvenile arrest decisions, and subsequent decisions involving the handling of arrested youth, should be driven by written policies and protocols that are based in fair, equitable and coordinated decision-making by all law enforcement agencies. These policies, practices and requisite record keeping should comply with the federal core requirements of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act of 1974, as amended.
- In order to ensure uniformity and fairness in school arrest policies and practices, the Baltimore School Police Force (BSPF) should immediately review and modify guidelines governing juvenile arrest policies and practices.
- In order to decrease the number of school-related arrests, the Baltimore School Police Force (BSPF) should immediately develop and implement guidelines governing access and use of diversion and early behavioral intervention initiatives.
- There should be routine coordination between the Baltimore City Police Department and the Baltimore School Police Force to ensure uniformity and fairness in juvenile arrest policies and practices across settings.
- In order to ensure citywide uniformity and fairness in arrest and booking policies and practices, the Baltimore City Police Department (BPD) should implement and expand its Juvenile Arrest Booking Pilot Program.
» back to top
GOAL 6: To ensure that routine measures and practices will be established to ensure acceptable confinement conditions in all facilities where Baltimore City youth are securely held.
- The JDAI Executive Committee should distribute the Contact Conditions report to the MOU partners.
- DJS should ensure that self-inspections are conducted in all facilities that are earmarked for secure detention and pending placement of Baltimore City male and female youth.
» back to top
GOAL 7: To ensure that strategies to support the reduction of special detention cases will be identified and implemented based upon JDAI best practices and models.
- The Writs and Warrants subcommittee should re-develop its 2001 framework to reflect best practices and models developed in other JDAI sites.
» back to top
