Legal Representation and Education for Minority Youth Intervention

Abstract

Literature has revealed that ethnic/racial minority youth are over-represented in the juvenile justice system. The present study investigated whether providing legal representation to ethnic/racial minority youth in juvenile court would lead to fewer convictions and less severe sanctions. The sample consisted of 10,938 youth (2003–2007), with 32% ethnic/racial minority youth. The state's juvenile sentencing guidelines were used to evaluate the legal representation practice. Multinomial regressions were conducted to examine the effect of legal representation and ethnicity on convictions and sanctions, controlling for criminal history and severity of offense. Results were that legal representation for both ethnic/racial minority and non-minority youth decreased the likelihood of convictions. However, legal representation was also associated with less and more severe sanctions than recommended sentencing guidelines. Taken together, legal representation for youth in juvenile court may lead to dismissal of criminal charges, but for those youth who are convicted, attorney presence may lead to receiving more severe sanctions.