Youth of Color in Criminal Justice System

This morning's Seattle Times has a front-page story about a rally protesting the treatment of six African American teens charged with attempted murder in the beating of a white teen in Jena, LA. "Jena Six" rally puts justice system on trial, Seattle Times, Sept. 21, 2007.

The story mentions "a January report from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency." I was curious and thought some readers might be as well. The 38-page report is: And Justice for Some: Differential Treatment of Youth of Color in the Justice System (2007). Here's a string of telling statistics from the executive summary:

From 2002 to 2004, African Americans were:
• 16% of youth.
• 28% of juvenile arrests.
• 30% of referrals to juvenile court.
• 37% of the detained population.
• 34% of youth formally processed by the juvenile court.
• 30% of adjudicated youth.
• 35% of youth judicially waived to criminal court.
• 38% of youth in residential placement.
• 58% of youth admitted to state adult prison.

Id. at 3.