Sacramento News & Review interviews CJCJ’s Mike Males on his report “The Plummeting Arrest Rates of California’s Children” detailing the dramatic decline in youth arrests over the past 30 years. Despite predictions of the past that prophesied more crime as populations of people of color grew, a long-term decline in arrests of youth across all races correlates with California’s increased racial diversity.
“Statewide, the CJCJ report shows that the [arrest] numbers were no fluke — and hit every category, from misdemeanors to violent crimes like murder and rape, and applied to both males and females and all races, with Latinos accounting for the biggest improvement.
But that runs counter to the stubborn narrative when it comes to youth. For instance, Males says the fear of black youth proved “pivotal” in justifying the deaths of both Trayvon Martin, in Florida, and Michael Brown in Missouri. “The claim that ‘youth are becoming more violent at younger ages’ is a constant refrain for at least a century, even in eras (such as today) when it is manifestly false,” he wrote in an email.”
Read “The Plummeting Arrest Rates of California’s Children” »