MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - A troubling report by the U.S. Department of Justice charges racism is alive and well at Shelby County Juvenile Court. It found black and white children are treated differently.
The feds began investigating Juvenile Court after Shelby County Commissioner Henri Brooks went to Washington and filed a complaint.
Brooks says the truth about Juvenile Court has finally come out. The report "pulls the cover off juvenile court… parents have said it for years," she said.
The federal investigation found African American children were a third less likely to receive a warning than a white child.
African Americans were more than twice as likely to be detained than white children and twice as likely to be transferred to adult court.
The report also found the juvenile justice system violated children's constitutional rights.
What surprised the bosses at juvenile court the most was the race issue. According to them, the truth is no racism exists. 85 percent of the children brought to Juvenile Court are African American; 75 percent of Juvenile Court employees are African Americans.
Whether you believe racism exists at Juvenile Court or not, truth is when the Justice Department issues a report like this, Shelby County doesn't look good.
