New Jersey targets bias in juvenile justice

State Attorney General Peter Harvey has ordered a statewide study to determine whether police, prosecutors and the court system treat young minorities more harshly than white youths. "We're looking at issues like the decision points made in prosecutors' offices, police stations and the streets," Harvey said. "We have to make sure we're not making assumptions about minority kids that are based on nothing more than prejudice." While minorities account for about 34 percent of New Jersey's juvenile population, the state's juvenile detention population is 82 percent minority, according to state figures. Those figures are from 2002, the year Harvey has asked county prosecutors to study because it is the latest year with the most complete data. "We need to look at the high percentage of minorities in juvenile justice facilities and to determine if there are inequities in the processing of criminal cases," Harvey said. [more ]