Practical Research, Tools, and Resources
On this page you will find practical research papers, tools, and resources from thought leaders and organizations in the field that dive into the issue of racial and ethnic disparities in youth justice. We will continue to add to this “R/ED Living Library” and are open to resources from R/ED Coordinators to help populate the available material.
Please note that in compiling these materials, we’ve attempted to gather the most up-to-date and impactful resources on racial and ethnic disparities in the youth justice system. However, as language–and especially the OJJDP-preferred lexicon regarding Title II Grants and R/ED Strategic Plans–evolves in the field, some materials may use slightly different terminology.
Practical Research
In this section you will find an assortment of what we are calling “practical” or applied research papers. While providing an extensive analysis of data, each also explores the lived experienceand provide practical steps and tools to make a change.
Racial Disparity and Education
This section will include resources exploring the intersection of racial disparity and education, from the school-to-prison pipeline, the role of urbanicity and school punishment, and a look at the associations between school discipline and wider county-level racial disparities.
Racial Disparity and Gender
In this section, we are collecting resources around R/ED and gender; specifically, the unjust outcomes and disparities faced by black girls.
Racial Disparities and Arrest
Below, you can find research around the role race and ethnicity play at the time of arrest.
Racial Disparity and Diversion
Below, you can find research around how diversion can be an effective tool to reducing racial and ethnic disparities.
Disparity Fact Sheets and R/ED Data
Below you will find research and deep dives into racial and ethnic disparity data, disparity fact sheets, and a link to the National Racial and Ethnic Disparities Databook.
In the National Racial and Ethnic Disparities (R/ED) Databook, users can review the counts and rates that characterize the processing of delinquency cases by the juvenile justice system and then study the ratio of rates between racial/ethnic minority youth and white youth. The ratio of rates helps to pinpoint and quantify the levels of disparity introduced at various decision points within the system. It is hoped that users can develop a better understanding of how racial/ethnic disparities are measured and can apply this understanding when reviewing this data dissemination tool, Additionally, the national data can serve as a benchmark against which local data can be compared.
From the Databook
R/ED Reflections and Analysis
Integrating research, lived experience, and thoughtful analysis, the papers below explore how and why attempts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the youth justice system have failed, and a foundation to move forward.