By Anna Wong, Policy and Research Associate, W. Haywood Burns Institute
“States are required to assess and address the disproportionate contact of youth of color at all points in the justice system - from arrest to detention to confinement.” This is one of four core requirements of the Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention Act (JJDPA), the federal law that sets standards for the care and custody of youth involved in the juvenile justice system and provides critical funding for the administration of juvenile justice around the country.