New research highlights the disparities Black juvenile defendants face in fines from Allegheny County judges.
New light is being shed on the disparities in fines Black juvenile defendants face from Allegheny County magisterial district judges.
Reporters investigating the issue observed court proceedings in nearly a dozen Allegheny County jurisdictions, where waiting rooms were often overcrowded and disproportionately filled with students and families of color, even in majority-white districts. Judge Bruce Boni, who serves McKees Rocks and Stowe Township, acknowledged what he called the “baked-in” racial disparities of the criminal justice system, but said the solution starts with examining how schools and police choose to issue citations.
“There’s only so much a court can do because, again, we are responsive [in nature],” Boni said.
“We’re already addressing students who have behavioral issues or mental health issues,” she said. “And the resources that are at my disposal to assess a monetary fine — just to me, it makes absolutely no sense.”
“It feels like being Black at a white school district, you feel targeted about a lot of things,” Olivia said. “They point you out for everything. And every little thing, every little mess up you do, it’s like you’re targeted.”
“I really would love togetherness, especially with these girls of color, to try to unite and be one,” McKnight said. “It’s not going to be with the school. It’s going to have to come from little old me, and helping these girls grow and mature and know that we carry ourselves well,” she said.
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Source: Black Enterprise
