Disproportionate Minority Contact

The Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act of 1974 as amended in 1992 required that the state identify assess, address, and monitor disproportionate minority confinement (DMC) for juvenile minority populations that represented more that 1% of the total general juvenile population for the state. During the reauthorization of the JJDP Act in 2002, disproportionate minority confinement was changed to contact with the juvenile justice system.

The Youth Justice Advisory Council (YJAC) has established a 7 member standing committee to advise the Council on DMC. In 2011 the committee was expanded to be the advisory committee for the statewide Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI). Four are members of the YJAC and three are members at large. The chair of the YJAC appoints all members of the DMC/JDAI Committee.

Together the YJAC and the DMC/JDAI Committee develop a 3 Year Plan and annual update to address DMC.

The Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) developed a tool called the Relative Rate Index (RRI) to identify and monitor DMC. Annually, the Montana Board of Crime Control updates an RRI for the state and for each DMC site within the state: Cascade County, Yellowstone County, Hill County and Missoula County.

The following are significant RRI trend data for each location:

Cascade County
Yellowstone County
Hill County
Missoula County
Statewide

For tools and resources to support DMC efforts, click on the Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Virtual Resource Center.