PPT I created for a group project in my SOWK 534 Policy and Practice course at USC.

1. Exercise 12–Community Change:
Case Studies
Work Group #2: Crystal, Lionel, and Monica
2014 - SOWK 534
Policy and Practice in Social Service Organizations
For this exercise, refer to pages 39–46

2. Presenting Problem
(as identified by the Annie E. Casey Foundation)
Youth of color are involved with the juvenile justice system
at disproportionate rates.
Disproportionate Minority Confinement (DMC): A
condition that exists when a racial/ethnic group’s
representation in confinement exceeds their
representation in the general population.
Regional & National demographic shifts make it more
appropriate to refer to the phenomenon as “racial and
ethnic disparities”.
Racial Disparities in Sacramento County
Disparities: overrepresentation and harsher treatments

3. Approaches to the
problem
Data collection & Analysis: used to spur development
strategies to reduce racial disparities among youth that
come in contact with the juvenile justice system.

4. How was the problem
identified?
“Task Force on Fairness”
identified, researched, &
examined issues related to
racial disparities in
detention
Build new coalitions and
alliances with groups
Broaden the
perspective of the
system to deal with
DMC
Provide decision makers
with training & tools to
address
overrepresentation.

5. Who assumed
leadership?
What was included in
the planning?
“Cultural audit” survey completed by
judges, probation officers, deputy sheriffs,
assistant district attorneys, and public
defenders.
Purpose of survey: To assess the system’s
overall understanding of and sensitivities to
racial, ethnic, and cultural differences in the
context of daily practice.
Establishment of an annual conference on
multicultural family violence prevention.
Purpose of conference: Bring together the
justice, health and human service providers,
and the minority communities to improve
communication and understanding and to
provide awareness of and access to support
resources.
TASK FORCE ON FAIRNESS
Led by the presiding juvenile court judge.
INVOLVED
Probation
District attorney
Public defender
Health and human services
Police department.
Community-based organizations, including
groups from the county’s large Asian,
Pacific Islander, and Latino communities.

6. What strategies were used?
Cultural diversity trainings for staff across departments, including
probation. Goal: create change in the system
Sacramento County used grant funds to hire a case advocate in the public
defender’s office. This person’s responsibilities included providing new
or enhanced information about detained delinquents and developing
release or dispositional plans to facilitate their release from secure
custody.
Reducing length of stay by speeding the resolution of cases. Included
forming a task force, conducting research, participating in new coalitions,
and enhancing defense advocacy.

7. What levels of community were involved?
Task Force on Fairness:
Cultural leaders from community organizations offered valuable insight into
nuances consistent with behavior that would not be known to outsiders.
Groups included representatives from the Asian, Pacific Islander, and Latino
communities.
Police minimized involvement due to community activist activity around
complaints of brutality and corruption especially with AA and Latinos

8. Effectiveness of the
identified solution
DIVERSITY TRAINING
111 representatives from juvenile court, probation, public defender, sheriff, and
district attorney offices had participated in cultural diversity training. A survey of
the participants showed that 90% of men and 99% of women agreed or strongly
agreed that the training increased their knowledge of intercultural
communication, and 85% of men and 89% of women agreed or strongly agreed
that the trainings improved their job skills.
ANALYSIS
African American admissions to detention dropped slightly, from 37% of all
admissions to 43 34%, while Latino admissions remained about the same. More
importantly, research prepared for the Task Force by NCCD showed that,
although there were disparities for African Americans and Latinos at the arrest
stage, the proportion of youth of color at various other stages in the system did
not change. In other words, they were not making the disparities any worse
either

9. Overall
Assessment
Changes in leadership were very hard barriers to
overcome.
It was hard to sustain an intense focus on
reducing racial disparities.
Efforts to reduce DMC were affected by a
combination of external events.

10. Thank You for watching
our presentation!