This study analyzed disproportionate minority contact as it applies to a Hispanic-dominant midsized county in California. Juvenile offenders will be the sample population, and the first priority is to establish proof of the disproportionate minority contact at initial contact with law enforcement officials. Furthermore, the study detects any disproportionality regarding minority juveniles during subsequent recidivist contact. Because there are contradictory theories regarding the causation of this disproportionate contact, it is important to test the changes in disproportionality over a period of time and compare those results to social variables. Among the significant variables in predicting recidivism as evidenced by the binary logistic regression were seriousness of first offense, gang affiliation, drug use, family type, and TANF use. These results insinuate two social phenomena. First, although disproportionate minority contact exists at initial contact with the system, the effect disappears in subsequent contact. Also, several social factors, including gang affiliation and drug use, rather than racial status predict recidivism among Fresno juvenile offenders. © 2016, National Gang Crime Research Center. All rights reserved.
Language: en
", language="en", issn="1079-3062", doi="", url="http://dx.doi.org/" }