Title
Authorizing the City Council Committee on Children and Youth to hold hearings on Philadelphia's juvenile probation system, examining opportunities to reduce racial inequities, review formal supervision and confinement, and support youth accessing programming, employment, and other resources.
Body
WHEREAS, Ideally, juvenile probation provides court-involved youth an opportunity to remain in their communities while participating in therapeutic and constructive activities supporting their positive development which helps youth become better equipped to meet their needs and helps keep our city safer; and
WHEREAS, Research on juvenile justice outcomes is clear regarding the importance of diversion and support rather than the surveillance typically associated with probation. For youth who are assessed as low-risk for rearrest, diversion programs are significantly more successful than traditional juvenile justice systems in reducing recidivism; and
WHEREAS, Racial disparities persist throughout the juvenile justice system. According to data from the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges Commission (JCJC), despite only constituting 50% of the juvenile population in the city, Black youth accounted for 77% of all written allegations and detentions, and 83% of delinquent adjudications in 2019. Black and Hispanic youth accounted for 96% of all youth over the age of 11 sent to residential placement in fiscal year 2018. Disparities also exist across the state, with youth of color spending more time on probation than their white peers. Further, national data from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention shows that youth of color are given fewer opportunities at diversion than their white peers, no matter the offense. For example, white youth involved in person-related offenses such as aggravated assault are nonetheless more likely to be diverted than Black youth charged with more minor public order offenses such as graffiti or trespassing; and
WHEREA...
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