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The case of the “Jena Six” in Louisiana has drawn public attention to the disproportionate treatment of racial groups in juvenile justice systems.
The case is “almost a prototype” of what is routinely seen around the country, said Barry Krisberg, president of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD).
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Five of the Jena Six teens were initially charged as adults with attempted murder and murder conspiracy, for the beating in December of a white classmate at school. National attention to the case intensified last summer after one of the youths, 16-year-old Mychal Bell, was convicted on a lesser charge of aggravated battery and faced 15 years in prison.
A state appeals court overturned the conviction because of Bell’s age; he is awaiting trial as a juvenile, as is another of the youths, who is 14. The four who were 17 or older still face adult charges.
Graphics dispaly juvenile justice racial data from “And Justice for Some,” a 2007 report by NCCD.
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