Untold Facts Related To Michael Brown Case: Boston University

An American plague of youth issues are at the root of much of today’s protest actions across the nation. It’s been decades since as many Americans have turned out to disupt daily life, sometimes in most creative and heartfelt ways since the police killing of unarmed youth Michael Brown.

In case you missed it, see creativity protesters recently used to completely interrupt the St. Louis Symphony by singing, Requiem for Michael Brown in the video below.

In regard to International Human Rights Day and related events being carried out throughout the nation this week, “it is now more important than ever to look at the racial inequality throughout America,” stated Austin Anderson at Boston Univeristy in a recent email to Deborah Dupré. “The recent Ferguson and Eric Garner verdicts reveal the ineffectiveness of the justice system in action.

“This inequality resides in our schools and the juvenile justice system as well.”

Anderson said that an infographic created by Boston University’s Masters of Criminal Justice program illustrates significant issues of racial inequality within the juvenile justice system and how this results in exponential increases in spending.

“Even though, as the data points out, white youth carried a weapon to school more than any other demographic, African-American juveniles were detained twice as much for weapon possessions in school. African American were also incarcerated up to five times more on drug offenses than white youth.

“In addition, we’re spending $88,000 per youth, and 2,600 youth offenders have been sentenced to death in this country. These are only some of the major issues that showcase the plight of the juvenile justice system.”

Highest Youth Incarceration Rate In World

“The state of the juvenile correction system in America is dreadfully lacking in effectiveness and is increasing in population year-over-year,” says a group from Boston Univerisity’s criminal justice department. “The US has the highest youth incarceration rate in the world, with 336 juvenile incarcerations per 100,000 youth – nearly five times as many as the second highest country.”

The Boston University group have listed in an infographic the following facts most Americans do not know:

• Only 12% of America’s youth is incarcerated after committing violent crimes. Most commit misdemeanors land them in residential facilities.
• New York in 2007 incarcerated 53% of youth convicted of misdemeanor offenses.
• Florida in 2008-2009 incarcerated 58% of youth convicted of misdemeanors.

Direct School to Prison Pipeline

The prevalence of zero-tolerance programs and schools suspending and expelling students for minor offenses, coupled with racial prejudices, are directly influencing the high incarceration rate of minors in the US. As more of our youth go directly from school to prison, the future of our young spirals quickly in a downward descent. Hope for the future can only be inspired by investing in the growth of our youth, not in their continued imprisonment.

Inadequate Care During Incarceration

Not only are America’s youth ending up in prison at higher rates than ever, they’re also not receiving appropriate care during their imprisonment:

• Almost 30% of jail inmates younger than 24 report having a learning disability
• A Bureau of Justice Statistics survey found 40% of jails provide no educational services
• 75% of all deaths in youth under 18 in adult jails were due to suicide
• 3 of every 10 youth confined in correctional facilities had attempted suicide at least once

Juvenile Incarceration is Ineffective

• Once released, 69% of families reported having difficulty getting their child back in school
• 70 to 80% of youth are rearrested within 2-3 years following release from residential corrections programs
• 38 to 58% of released youth are found guilty of new offenses (as a juvenile or an adult) within 2 years

Financial Burden

• In one survey of families of court-involved youth, over 50% of family members reported that their households live on less than $25,000 year
• 1 in 3 families said they have had to choose between paying for basic necessities like food and making court related payments
• In 2007, states spent approximately $5.7 billion locking up 64,558 youth at an average cost of $240.99 per day

Learn More

Learn more about the incarceration of youth in the US by seeing this infographic created by Boston University’s Master of Criminal Justice Online program. America’s youth need you today.