New Data Exposes Deepening Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Youth Justice System Nationwide
Black, Latino, and Tribal youth face alarming rates of confinement as incarceration rises for second year
Related to: Youth Justice, Racial Justice
[Washington, D.C.] — Today, The Sentencing Project released a series of briefs revealing a disturbing resurgence in youth incarceration and widening racial disparities as of 2023–just as the Trump Administration calls for increased criminalization of youth. Reporting from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) showed the first consecutive annual increase in the one-day count of youth incarceration since 2000. The findings, compiled in three newly released briefs underscore the urgent need for systemic reform in youth justice practices nationwide.
Key findings include:
- 46% of youth in placement are Black, even though Black youth comprise only 15% of all youth in the United States
- Black youth are 5.6 times as likely to be incarcerated than white youth– and the Black/white racial disparities in youth incarceration grew more than 10% in 23 states.
- Nebraska has the highest Black youth incarceration rate, the second-highest Black/white disparity, and the third-fastest growing disparity over the past decade.
- West Virginia ranks second in Black youth incarceration.
- Latino youth are at least twice as likely to be incarcerated than white youth in 11 states.
- The Latino/white disparity rate in youth incarceration grew more than 10% in 13 states over the last ten years.
- West Virginia has the highest Latino youth incarceration rate.
- Latino youth were at least three times as likely to be held in placement in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Utah, and South Carolina compared to their white peers.
- Tribal youth are almost four times as likely to be incarcerated than white youth.
- The Tribal/white disparity rate in youth incarceration has grown more than 10% in eight states with significant Tribal populations.
- South Dakota leads the nation in Tribal youth incarceration, ranks third in its Tribal/white disparity, and has the third-fastest-growing disparity.
- Minnesota has the highest Tribal/white disparity and ranks third in Tribal youth incarceration.
- Tribal youth were at least ten times as likely to be held in placement as white youth in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
“These numbers are not just data– they represent tens of thousands of young lives derailed by a system that continues to punish rather than support. Youth of color are already disproportionately impacted by policies and practices that funnel them into the youth justice system, which could be addressed through effective community-based alternatives, like diversion programs,” said Josh Rovner, Senior Research Analyst at The Sentencing Project. “Despite calls from the Trump Administration yesterday to lock up more children, research shows that over-incarcerating our youth won’t deter crime—it only deepens cycles of trauma and inequality, harming families and communities alike.”
The Sentencing Project has long documented the deep racial disparities in youth incarceration, highlighting how systemic biases and ill-informed policy choices disproportionately funnel Black, Latino, and Tribal youth into the justice system while advocating for reforms that prioritize rehabilitation over punishment.
Click below to read each brief:
Black Youth Incarceration
Latino Youth Incarceration
Tribal Youth Incarceration
