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Reducing Disproportionality; Department
Re-Energizes its Commitment to DMC
For some of North Carolina’s youth, opportunities to succeed are inhibited as a result of their involvement in the juvenile justice system. This issue is further exacerbated when these outcomes significantly impact a specific segment of the population disproportionately. This issue is known as Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) where youth of color are overrepresented at major decision points in the system. Since 2003, the Department has recognized the impact of Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) and has actively engaged in efforts to reduce its impact.
In 2007, the Department made a commitment to re-energizing its efforts surrounding the DMC issue. Often, the negative situations that some of our youth encounter at home, school, or in the community are not addressed until delinquent behavior is displayed which warrants involvement by juvenile justice staff. Realizing that DMC occurs before youth enter the juvenile justice system, the Department continues to focus on the prevention and intervention of juvenile delinquency through community outreach, community program alternatives, and nationally recognized best-practices. As the Department strives to serve all North Carolina youth in an equitable fashion, it will continue its efforts surrounding the DMC issue in the months ahead.
The Department’s renewed efforts include: identifying key factors that contribute to DMC; disseminating posters and brochures to all area offices highlighting the DMC issue; developing critical decision points maps that show where DMC occurs; and conducting workshops for Department staff to promote awareness and develop strategies to address DMC.
In addition, a major initiative being promoted by the Department is a system-wide training on the Race Matters Toolkit sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Toolkit helps staff to intentionally focus on race as strategies, programs, and policies are being developed for youth and their families.
For more information about DMC, please contact Jamal Carr at jamal.carr@ncmail.net
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