Emerging Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) and Status Offenses
In 1988, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act required that states participating in the Act’s formula grant program develop and implement plans to address disproportionate minority confinement of juveniles in secure facilities, including jails and lockups. At that time, nearly 7 out of 10 youth in these facilities were minority youth, an overrepresentation of more than double their percentage in the general population.
A Blueprint for Using Data to Reduce Disparities/Disproportionalities in Human Services and Behavioral Health Care
Communities and states across the country are developing and implementing effective strategies to reduce D&D. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released its first-ever HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. An overarching priority in this plan is to assess the impact of federal investments, such as grants, on the reduction of disparities in communities across the country. A Blueprint for Using Data to Reduce Disparities/Disproportionalities in Human Services and Behavioral Health Care (Blueprint) will be a useful tool to address this Secretarial priority and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Disparity Impact Strategy.
HHS LGBT Issues Coordinating Committee 2015 Report
The development of culturally responsive clinical skills is vital to the effectiveness of behavioral health services. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), cultural competence “refers to the ability to honor and respect the beliefs, languages, interpersonal styles, and behaviors of individuals and families receiving services, as well as staff members who are providing such services. Cultural competence is a dynamic, ongoing developmental process that requires a long-term commitment and is achieved over time”(HHS 2003a, p. 12). It has also been called “a set of behaviors, attitudes, and policies that . . . enable a system, agency, or group of professionals to work effectively in crosscultural situations”(Cross et al. 1989, p. 13).