St. Louis Area Collaborative Planning Project to
Address Minority Youth in Juvenile Justice

Principal Investigator:  James Herbert Williams, PhD
Funder:  MO Department of Public Safety, via US Department of Justice
Timeframe:  10/98 - 3/00
Affiliation: Center for Mental Health Services Research (CMHSR)

Project Staff: Arlene Stiffman, PhD, Co-Principal Investigator
                       Sally Haywood, MPA, Administrator
Participating Organizations: MO Department of Public Safety, via US Department of Justice
Project Contact:  James Herbert Williams, PhD
                             (314) 935-7215
                             jherbert@wustl.edu

Project Update as of 12/17/2007:
Stage: Project completed

Description:

Adolescent delinquent behaviors have become normal within the United States.  High delinquency rates are particularly prevalent among African Americans.  Previous research has indicated that there are significant racial disparities among adolescents within the juvenile justice system.  One of the goals of this project was to gather data on minority youth disposition, develop a plan appropriate to this region to address the mental health needs of minority youth.  In addition, this project developed plans to decrease the number of African American youths in confinement or out-of-home placement and improve the image of African American youth.