Disproportionate Minority Contact

The Johnson County Department of Corrections (JCDOC) focuses on addressing the root causes of racial and ethnic disparities experienced by youth in the juvenile justice system through its Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) efforts.

In Johnson County, we want better results for all young people in our community. The goal of our DMC efforts is to make sure every youth is treated fairly. We use our resources to help reduce youth involvement in the criminal justice system.

The community can engage with the DMC's work by serving on the DMC Committee, providing educational opportunities, and establishing partnerships. This helps ensure we can best serve youth and treat everyone fairly.

Guiding Principles

Determination to change parts of the juvenile justice system that contribute to racial and ethnic disparities
A long-term focus at all justice system decision points on reducing racial and ethnic disparities
Useful data collection that informs important discussions and smart decisions
Respect for everyone’s opinions and experiences

Background

DMC means that more minority youth touch the juvenile justice system than others. Work to fix DMC started in 2008 with the formation of the DMC Committee.

The JCDOC began local efforts by collecting and looking at data to help evaluate processes. In partnership with the Haywood Burns Institute, Corrections identified areas for improvement concerning racial and ethnic disparities.

In 2022, Corrections hired a DMC Coordinator to oversee and guide the committee's work. While focusing on the guiding principles of the committee, the DMC Coordinator's priorities include building on the foundation of the work and identifying and addressing racial and ethnic disparities.