One timely and important topic in justice at all levels is racial and ethnic disparity. This concept basically means that people of color are disproportionately drawn into the justice system. To put it concretely, a Black person is more likely to be arrested than a White person for the same offense. The UNO School of Criminology and Criminal Justice released a report about this exact problem in Nebraska, which you can read by following this link.
The data in this report is sobering and disappointing. From the chart below, you can see that Black Nebraskans make up 5% of the population of Nebraska, yet account for nearly 20% of the total arrests. Although this report looks at the criminal justice system as a whole, juvenile justice system data reflects similar pattern in many of Nebraska’s counties.
When someone is arrested, that person’s arrest affects everyone around him: family, friends, coworkers, children, and so on. The person who’s arrested may be a mentor in her community whose presence matters to the kids in her neighborhood. Children who witness their parents getting arrested may also be traumatized by the event.
Many people in Nebraska are working to address rail and ethnic disparity and underlying address systemic racism in our communities. As we move forward, consider ways you can help make your community an equitable and just place for everyone.