LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- In Kentucky, Black children are being detained at a higher rate than kids of other races and Kentucky Youth Advocates is looking to state lawmakers to address the disparity.Â
Kentucky Youth Advocates recently revealed data on the disparities in Kentucky's juvenile justice justice system that shows Black kids are distinctly more involved in the justice system than other groups.Â
Kentucky Youth Advocates Executive Director Terry Brooks said addressing disparities for young Black children isn't a fast fix, but more of a long-term commitment.
"If we think we're gonna solve it overnight, if we think there's a single silver bullet, then we've already lost, right?" Brooks said.Â
Recent data shows that Kentucky's population for Black children is 11% compared to white, Hispanic and an "other" race category, but 39% of detained kids are Black. So the detained population is three times more than the general population.
Brooks said diversion programs are a way to help lower those rates, and can result in positive outcomes. He also said the group wants lawmakers to help with funding diversion and prevention programs too.
"Prevention, diversion, detention -- we need all three, all three needs to be funded," Brooks said. "All three need to be of high quality, then, and maybe only then will we be able to tackle the issue of disparity and the broader issue of youth violence."
The Kentucky Youth Advocates presented the data and solutions to state lawmakers in a juvenile justice oversight council Tuesday afternoon. The response from lawmakers showed an interest in learning more about how to provide the money to help with the disparities.
The next opportunity for lawmakers to allocate money from the budget is in January.
To see the full presentation on disparities presented by KYA click here. Administrative Office of the Courts collects the juvenile justice data and broke each county down for a more refined look to see that break down click here.
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