Transcript Proportions and Poverty

A disproportionate number of minority
youth in NY in juvenile prisons.
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Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
Step 4:
Step 5:
Step 6:
Define the Problem
Gather the Evidence
Identify the Causes
Examine an Existing Policy
Develop Solutions
Select the Best Solution
By Jamal Denman
Step 1: Define the Problem
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12,558 = number of juveniles who entered the
New York City Juvenile Justice System in 2008
[CWW]
49.4% = percentage of youths released from
detention facilities who are readmitted
[MMR09]
80% = percentage of youths released from
placement who return within three years
[OCFS]
Step 2: Gather the Evidence
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83% = percentage of youths in detention who
require mental health services [MMR08]
74% = percentage of youths in placement
who require substance abuse treatment
[OASAS]
40% = percentage of youths admitted to
detention who came from only 15 of New
York City's 59 community districts [DJJ]
Step 2: Gather the Evidence
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68% = percentage of youths from those 15
community districts who came from areas
where poverty rates are between 32% and
46% [DHMH]
$251+ million = total New York City budget for
the juvenile justice system in FY2008 [IBO]
Step 2: Gather the Evidence
95% = percentage of
youths entering
detention who are of
African-American or
Latino decent [CA]
Step 2: Gather the Evidence
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What are the social repercussions of having a
disproportionate amount of young minorities
in juvenile prisons?
1. First condition
2. Second condition
3. Third condition
Children in New York
with a parent in prison:
80,000 [CA]
Step 3: Identify the Causes
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What are some of the reasons that there is
such a disparity in the percentages of young
minorities in the juvenile prison system in
NY?
Step 3: Identify the Causes
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First underlying factor
Second underlying factor
Third underlying factor
Step 3: Identify the Causes
Step 4: Examine an Existing Policy
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STOP AND FRISK
 Has STOP and FRISK decreased crime in high
crime areas?
 Are certain ethnic groups targeted in STOP and
FRISK?
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DOES STOP AND FRISK WORK TO PREVENT
CRIME?
DOES STOP AND FRISK MAINTAIN HIGH
LEVELS OF CONTACT BETWEEN NYPD AND
MINORITIES?
Step 4: Examine an Existing Policy
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BLOOMBERG’S Young Men's Initiative
 Job-recruitment centers in public-housing
complexes
 Retrain probation officers in an effort to reduce
recidivism
 Establish new fatherhood classes
 Assess schools on the academic progress of male
black and Latino students
Step 4: Examine an Existing Policy
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In groups of 3-4, work together to develop
alternative public policy solutions that can
help alleviate the disparity of young
minorities remain free from the juvenile
prison system.
http://www2.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/wo
rksheet5.html
Step 5: Develop New Solutions
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1. List the three public policy alternatives
from Worksheet 5. Create a short word or
abbreviation to summarize each policy and
write it at the end of each policy (see
example).
1.
2.
3.
Step 6: Select the Best Solution
FEASABILITY
EFFECTIVENESS
HIGH
MEDIUM
LOW
HIGH
MEDIUM
LOW
Step 6: Select the Best Solution
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Discuss the reasons for your decisions in the
matrix.
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Discuss why your group prefers one
alternative over the other two alternatives.
Step 6: Select the Best Solution
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BY SANDY LIOTTA