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| from L-R: Percy Bradley, Soror Lisa Jones Johnson, State Rep Henri Brooks, and brother, Rev. Dr. Andre Johnson |
On Sunday, July 29, at 10:00am, Nu Iota Sigma, along with the Social Justice Ministry at Gifts of Life Ministries, sponsored an informational session with State Representative Henri Brooks. She addressed issues concerning the Juvenile Court in Shelby County in Tennessee. Brooks shared information made public by the United States Justice Department who say,
"Black youths arrested in Memphis, Tennessee, (are) much more likely than white juveniles to be jailed and tried as adults." Further, she mentioned the scathing review of 66,000 cases that revealed, "serious and systemic failures" in the way youthful offenders were treated. Also the review found:
- African-American children were treated "differently and harshly,"
- Black juveniles who were arrested in Memphis and surrounding Shelby County were twice as likely as whites to be detained in jail and twice as likely to be recommended for transfer to adult court, where a conviction generally brings harsher punishment.
- Failed to protect juvenile suspects from self-incrimination
- A pattern of youths arrested without a warrant not getting timely hearings
- Inadequate protections for detained juveniles who were in danger of harming themselves
- A tendency for jailers to overuse physical restraints on juveniles.
The brothers of Nu Iota Sigma stand with the children and their families and will continue to support efforts to correct this egregious problem in our Juvenile Court System.
To read the report click
here
