Disproportionate Minority Youth Contact

DMC

Reduction Plan

Disproportionate Minority Confinement (DMC) exists when the proportion of juveniles detained or confined in secure detention facilities who are members of a minority group exceed their groups' proportion in the general population.

As a core requirement of the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act, States are required to address efforts to reduce DMC. To this end, the law directs states to identify, assess, develop interventions and monitor results of their efforts.

At the direction of the San Diego Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council (JJCC), The Children's Initiative formed a DMC Committee to research DMC in San Diego County . The committee's current membership consists of representatives from Juvenile Court, the Office of the District Attorney, the Office of the Public Defender, the Children's Initiative, law enforcement, County of San Diego HHSA , Children's Mental Health Services, the Juvenile Justice Commission and the Probation Department.

The Children's Initiative with support from San Diego Police Department, San Diego Sheriff's Office, Probation Department and the District Attorneys' Office conducted a study to evaluate the extent of DMC in our juvenile justice system. Currently, The Children's Initiative and partners have been awarded a grant from Corrections Standards Authority to continue research and implement strategies to reduce DMC.