The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
December 18, 2012

Tennessee County to Reform Juvenile Justice System After Reports of Racial Bias 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 
A Tennessee county linked to the discriminatory treatment of teenaged
African-American suspects has signed a landmark agreement to reform its
practices. On Monday, the Justice Department said it had reached a deal
with local officials to overhaul juvenile justice in Shelby County. A
report earlier this year found black teens were twice as likely to be
detained than whites and were often sent to adult criminal court for
minor offenses. Juvenile suspects also attempted suicide at record rates
and were detained in harsh conditions including being tied to restraint
chairs and left alone for far longer than allowed by law. Under the
agreement, Shelby will be forced to carry out a series of reforms to
avoid future lawsuits by federal prosecutors.

 

.