Iowa Has a Problem

IOWA CITY - Iowa has a problem.  Last year, a study by the Criminal Justice Advocacy Research Group showed that the state of Iowa incarcerates African Americans at a rate 13.6 times that of Caucasians.  Iowa's disparity is now the highest in the nation, ahead of Vermont, New Jersey and Connecticut. 

While 25 percent of Iowa's prison population is African American, they make up just 2.3 percent of the state's total population.  Recognizing this disparity, Sioux City's Woodbury DMC, with help from Iowa Governor Chet Culver, have become staunch advocates of reform, hoping to pull Iowa from the depths of such widespread minority disproportion.

"We need to keep spreading the message," University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Clinical social worker James Burkhalter said.  "This isn't right.  It needs to change.  It has to change."

Woodbury DMC, an institution tasked with combating disproportionate minority contact (DMC) in Iowa, is working hard to address the issue.  The center of a new Juvenile Detention Reform Project, Woodbury DMC is using grant money from the Annie E. Casey Foundation to change the juvenile justice system policies and procedures to combat overrepresentation of minority youth in detention settings, according to Assistant DMC Coordinator David Gleiser.  Woodbury DMC is developing and implementing objective detention screening tools and risk assessments to help curb this disparity.

"In the process of all this, we will work to expedite case processing, reduce racial disparities, and monitor conditions of confinement," Gleiser added.  "We will also be looking into accessing community-based alternatives that would allow kids to remain in their communities."

Gleiser noted that community-based alternatives are less expensive, more practical and will have a more positive influence on youth than detention.

Burkhalter says the lack of psychologists, social workers, and mental health experts involved in the rehabilitation process for detained you contributes to a "vicious cycle" where minority youth fail to receive the support they truly need.

"It's a total flaw in our society," Burkhalter said.  Burkhalter notes that a large proportion of detained minorities face mental health issues that are rarely dealt with in current institutions.

"They aren't getting treatment, and they're [detained] in the wrong institutions," Burkhalter said.  "It's a tough problem and it hurts society.  We have to change the entire system."

Burkhalter feels that such disproportion comes from a variety of factors.  "A lot of it has to do with the environment these African Americans grew up in," Burkhalter said.  "They often put themselves at a higher risk for arrest in order to survive and climb out of the environment they are born into."  Burkhalter went on to say that those who do find themselves in legal trouble are often unable to afford a private attorney.

Many public defenders do a great job, Burkhalter said, but they are overworked and underpaid, further stacking the odds against these minorities.  Burkhalter went on to cite discrimination, oppression, and institutional racism from "day one" as significant contributing factors leading to this disproportion.

A recent study conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University Professors Michael Leiber, Robyn Lacks and Kristan Fox has shown that "being African American substantially increased the likelihood of detention relative to similar whites," even after considering differences in crime severity and prior record.

Gleiser said that combating this disparity will be far from easy.  "For this vision to become a reality, it requires the participation of every Iowan, regardless of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, or ethnicity," Gleiser said.

To succeed, Gleiser said that institutions will have to change both the way they think and operate.  "We plan to use a comprehensive approach, collaborating with different agencies, and switch to objective decision making based on data without jeopardizing public safety."

Gleiser remains optimistic, noting that, despite the poor state of minority disparity currently seen in Iowa, the forecast for the future "looks promising."  A recent local collaborative effort between the Sioux City public school system and the Juvenile Court Services (JCS) managed to reduce JCS referrals and complaints by over 50 percent, potentially providing a case study for the rest of Iowa to follow.  Woodbury Country has been selected as an official juvenile detention reform site after an application process Gleiser described as "long and rigorous."

Recognizing Iowa's problem, Culver has also become a vocal voice for juvenile detention reform, becoming the first sitting Governor to attend the annual Iowa DMC conference in Des Moines in 2007, organized by the University of Iowa School of Social Work's DMC Resource Center.  There, Culver voiced strongly his commitment to addressing racial disparities.  Gleiser describes the conference as a community collaboration, relying soley on the support of committee members and community members for financial support. 

In 2007, Culver signed an executive order creating the Race and Detention Taskforce for Youth, specifically designed to further address minority disparity while "leveling the playing field" for all Iowan youth.

"It seems that our Governor is honestly committed to this vision of 'one Iowa' and ensuring a level playing field for all its citizens," Gleiser said.  "That's a great thing to hear, especially in my line of work." 

Not mandated by law to exist, Woodbury DMC relies on donations and volunteer support from the community.  Committee members consist of key decision-makers, stake-holders, local polititians, law enforcement officials, and those involved in the school system, according to Gleiser.  Despite a lack of federal funding, Gleiser said that local Woodbury conferences have grown significantly from years past.  "We are really happy how this year's conference has come together and we are expecting a great turnout," Gleiser said.

This year's statewide DMC conference is drawing in inner-city teaching figurehead Ron Clark, while playing host to a pre-conference training workshop titled, "Positive Behavior Supports and Reducing Disproportionalities in Schools." 

With so much happening over the course of the last year, Gleiser remains steadfast.  "Iowa is a great place to live," he said.  "I want to ensure that it will always be a great place to live for all."