Ethnic imbalance found in isle juvenile offenders

Among the findings:

- Hawaiian, part-Hawaiian and Samoan youths are overrepresented in arrests, court appearances, detention and the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility.

- East Asians (Chinese, Japanese and Koreans), Caucasians and others are significantly underrepresented.

The findings are based on the number of 10- to 17-year-olds in different ethnic groups vs. those showing up in the justice system in 1993-94.

For instance, the report says Hawaiians and part-Hawaiians represent 31 percent of the juvenile population in the state but account for 35 percent of juvenile arrests and 53 percent of juveniles at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility.

Samoan youths have the greatest disparity in the youth facility - several times larger than any

other group. African-American youths in the system also were disproportionate, Kassebaum said.

However the number of Filipino youths in the system wasn't as high as expected, he said. And those arrested and sent to court weren't confined or sent to the youth facility, he noted.

Caucasian youths also didn't end up at the youth facility, despite a large number of arrests. While about 20 percent of arrests during the study period were of Caucasians, the group represented just 7 percent of the population at the youth correctional facility.

"It must be shown where the more serious law violators or persistent status offenders go if they are not sent to HYCF," the study said. "These routes must then be made more accessible to Samoans, Hawaiians and African-Americans."

Kassebaum said the evidence supports the need for early and meaningful education, early identification of high-risk families and community programs. "A lot of kids don't go on to prison if we can reach them early."

Researchers met with ethnic groups across the islands to discuss the findings and possible solutions. "Some were fairly self-critical," Kassebaum said. "I didn't hear any calls for crackdowns, but rather more services they thought could be contributing to community integration. . . . They don't want communities to fall apart any more than they are."

The Juvenile Justice and Delin quency Prevention Act has ordered all states to address ethnic imbalances in the juvenile system, said Suzanne Toguchi, with the state Office of Youth Services.

A three-year plan is required with federal funding at risk for unmet goals, she said. Hawaii receives about $600,000 annually.

The Office of Youth Services is coordinating the planning effort with a Coalition for Ethnic and Cultural Diversity of Youth, convened by the Juvenile Justice State Advisory Council. About 70

coalition members met last week to discuss the data and recommendations with Kassebaum and two consultants to the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Jonas Mata of Oklahoma City noted that the federal definition of ethnic minorities was changed for Hawaii so Hawaiians and Samoans could be treated separately.

Mata and Michael Lindsey of Dallas are with Community Research Associates, which provides technical assistance to the juvenile justice office.

Mata said they've covered about 75 percent of the states. Hawaii is much further ahead than many in developing a coalition and trying to tackle the problems statewide, he said. The issue isn't just of one of juvenile justice, he stressed. "It's really a societal issue." Communities must focus on early intervention, education and other issues affecting children, he said.

Bert Matsuoka, Office of Youth Services executive director, said the project blends into his agency's mission to work with communities and prevent juvenile problems. Some of the federal money is being used to address increasing problems with status offenders, such as runaways. "It's so important to catch and get services to them," he said. "These kids are on the fence. They will either fall over or we'll pull them back."

How to win them over

Coalition for Ethnic and Cultural Diversity of Youth recommendations to reduce arrests of youths overrepresented in Hawaii's juvenile justice system:

Empowerment: Work with at least one community on each island by December 1997 to increase empowerment for Hawaiian, Samoan, Filipino and African-Americans.

Culture: Raise cultural awareness of Filipino and African-American youths in at least one school in each targeted community and continue building cultural consciousness of Hawaiian and Samoan youths.

Schooling: Increase graduates from the overrepresented ethnic groups by providing more remedial services for students with learning problems.

Recreation: Get schools, communities and the parks departments to collaborate to expand and improve after-school and weekend recreational activities for intermediate students.

Family skills: Develop community programs to improve family and parenting skills and provide law education as it applies to youth misconduct.

Compliance: Increase compliance of youths with court-referred programs by training agencies to make them more culturally sensitive.

Substance abuse: Expand alcohol and other drug abuse programs, making them culturally sensitive, realistic and accessible.

Integration: Continue programs to reintegrate youths released from the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility with community support and gang response activities to prevent repeat offenses.