This report reveals that in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, we are criminalizing our Black youth, manifested by disproportionately high arrest rates and referrals to juvenile justice. It presents information on two primary causes of the over-referral of Black youth to juvenile justice: 1) arrests and referrals made by school police and 2) summary citations. It concludes with recommendations for addressing these issues.
As you read this report, keep in mind that the behavior of Black youth is not worse in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County than in other places and does not in any way account for these high levels of arrests, citations, and juvenile justice referrals. In fact, this report reveals that many of the behaviors for which our Black youth are arrested and cited are developmentally normal teenage behaviors for which White youth are rarely arrested and cited.
This is a systems problem that demands reforms at the system level. It is incumbent on the adults running the systems criminalizing Black youth to address the systemic racism these patterns reveal
