Racial Disparities in Ohio Specialty Court Dockets

Abstract

Record ID: 308

Award(s): Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentorship

Program Affiliation: McNair Scholars Program

Presentation Type: Podium

Abstract: In a 2020 report commissioned by the Ohio Supreme Court, researchers from American University found concerns with respect to equity in access, participation, and success in Ohio's specialty court dockets using their Racial and Ethnic Disparities (RED) assessment tool. The specialty court dockets in Ohio routinely provide the Ohio Supreme Court demographic information for individuals referred, accepted, and graduating from these dockets. Data pulled from 3 time points in 2021 suggest ongoing racial disparities at all three status points. Using data from 3 mental health courts situated in one large urban locale, we coded mental health court participants' criminal history data using county court records to determine if one cause of the observed disparities had to do with the courts' admissions criteria with respect to criminal history.  Results and implications will be discussed.