Racial Bias In Juvenile Justice Essay

Racial bias affects the direct file of a juvenile being tried as an adult. Studies have shown inconsistencies in the juvenile justice system where race was the determining factor in juveniles taking on adult sentences. For example, the case with Studies show that the race of the juvenile defendant can influence a direct file’s decisions to charge them as adult.
Racism is the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races. Characteristics like their skin color, facial features, and abilities like blacks can only play sports like football and basketball. Stereotype can be an example of racism. Like saying, all white
The juvenile system is created to protect the juvenile, and allow them to make changes in their lives without it following them into adulthood. “However, one major controversy in juvenile dispositions is the use of indeterminate sentencing, which allows a judge to set a maximum sentence” (Reuters). The process of the juvenile system is that the juvenile is taken in to custody, and then are held in a detention center until the decision is made whether the juvenile should be sent to adult court or in to the Diversion Program. The Diversion Program is a program that prevents juveniles from entering the juvenile system through a legal process (Juvenile Justice Process). Juvenile cases can only be transferred in only three ways, an indictment, waiver and a direct file (Juveniles Charged as Adults). An indictment is when the state can seek for a grand jury to indict at any age. A direct file is the decision of the prosecutor to transfer the case to the adult courts. A waiver is the request by prosecutor to the judge to transfer a child at least fourteen years hold to the adult court (Juvenile Justice Process). The judge looks over the child’s criminal history, and either denies or accepts the