Author(s): The Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center – See The Girl
Published: Mar. 11, 2021
Report Intro/Brief:
“More than 300,000 Black girls attend K–12 public schools across Florida. Black girls represent about one in five girls, although this varies by location. It is imperative to consider data by race and ethnicity within gender to better understand differences in girls’ experiences. The data illuminate ongoing systemic failures and criminalizing responses that put the overall well-being of Black girls at risk. This research brief is sounding the alarm about the experiences of Black girls, who are disproportionately impacted by the education and juvenile justice systems. Disparate responses across systems increase risk of exclusion, criminalization, and system involvement. This is a pressing priority that calls for transformational reforms.
In Florida, 36% of Black girls in middle and high school do not feel safe at school compared to the statewide average of 29% of all girls (Patino Lydia & Gordon, 2019). Datasets from the Florida Department of Education and Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) provide context for levels of disciplinary exclusion, criminalization at school, and justice system involvement for these girls. Statewide, Black girls make up only 21% of girls ages 10–17, but they represent 45% of the girls who were arrested, 52% of girls on probation caseloads, 47% of the girls incarcerated, and 52% of the girls transferred into the adult criminal justice system. This overrepresentation has been consistent for the last decade.
What does this mean in real numbers? In 2019–2020, law enforcement arrested over 3,000 Black girls, over 850 were placed on juvenile probation, and 101 were incarcerated. There were 19 Black girls transferred to the adult system.
These numbers represent a significant overall reduction in arrests and incarceration from previous years. Last year saw a 19% reduction in the number of Black girls arrested and a 23% reduction in the number of White girls arrested. However, what still remains is a disproportionate percentage of Black girls in the system—half—compared to their portion of the general population (21%).
This report, Sounding the Alarm, brings together research in critical areas that warrant attention. It provides recommendations to address the mechanisms and policies that create disparate and harmful experiences for young Black girls in Florida. The successful implementation of the recommended reforms can start to reduce the number of Black girls entering the justice system.”
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