For some of the latest research and information on issues facing young men and boys of color, we invite you to explore the following recently published research and policy reports.
Improving Juvenile Justice Policy in California: A Closer Look at Transfer Laws’ Impact on Young Men and Boys of Color
(Download)
This brief takes a deeper look at juvenile transfer laws in California, exploring the circumstances under which they evolved, how they impact youth of color, and whether they indeed improve public safety and reduce recidivism. It concludes with recommendations and examples of promising approaches.
Realignment: A Bold New Era in California Corrections
(Download)
Public Safety Realignment is an enormously important change to the criminal justice system in California that involves a shift of governmental responsibilities from state government to county governments for the handling of non-violent, non-serious and non-sex offenders as well as a large number of parolees from the state correctional system.
As California’s 58 counties take on the task of implementing local plans to handle this influx of newly convicted offenders, there is a significant opportunity for them to creative innovative, efficient and effective systems that mark a bold shift in the way corrections have been undertaken in California. This brief provides a brief overview of the reasons for realignment, its challenges, and key steps for making local county plans a success.
Resources from the California Assembly Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color (held August 17th, 2011 in Sacramento, California)
Issue Briefs (Download)
Five policy issue briefs focused on the topics of Health, Education, Safety, Youth Development and Employment were distributed by the Assembly Select Committee. Each issue brief includes a section with the latest statistical facts about boys and young men of color, followed by sections describing policy intervention points and policy solutions that can make a difference.
Hearing Agenda (Download)
The annotated hearing agenda lists speakers and topics covered during the 6-hour hearing.
Speakers (Download)
Brief bios for all 22 hearing speakers.
How Neighborhoods Influence the Health and Success of Boys and Young Men of Color, Presentation and Handout, May 2011
In May 2011 the Warren Institute presented some of the latest research on how neighborhoods impact the health and economic opportunity of boys and young men of color. The presentation reviews research describing the inequitable “geography of child opportunity”, how neighborhoods of concentrated disadvantage impair child cognitive development, and how growing up in a disadvantaged neighborhood stunts economic opportunity for a lifetime. The presentation closes with a few evidence-based policy and program strategies for addressing the health and economic opportunities for boys and young men of color.
Download the PDF version of the Presentation
Download the PowerPoint version of the Presentation
Download the Handout with detailed citations for all research
The Consequences of Structural Racism, Concentrated Poverty and Violence on Young Men and Boys of Color, April 2011
(Download)
Carol Silverman, Michael Sumner, and Mary Louise Frampton; Henderson Center for Social Justice at the U.C. Berkeley School of Law
This brief examines the broader structural and institutional elements that research implicates as the root causes of violence among boys and young men of color. It includes policy solutions and emerging and promising practices that respond to the primacy of broader structural issues, including structural racism. The brief also highlights organizations seeking to change conditions in their communities.
The Health Home: An Approach for Improving Health Outcomes for Boys and Young Men of Color, February 2011
(Download)
Christian D. Phillips, Berkeley Center on Health, Economic & Family Security, UC Berkeley School of Law
Along with a short overview of health disparities faced by boys and young men of color, this 11-page research brief defines the concept of a “health home” and provides an in-depth discussion of several of the primary models employed in health home projects around the country. The brief includes a list of best practices drawn from existing models and provides a set of recommendations.
Reparable Harm: Assessing and Addressing Disparities Faced by Boys and Men of Color in California, 2009
(Download)
The RAND Corporation
Looking at the data available on boys and young men of color, The RAND Corporation analyzed four broad areas associated with the health outcomes facing boys and men of color. Using a “social determinants” of health frame, they found that the odds for boys and men of color are far worse than they are for white boys and men across all of the areas examined. Using this same “social determinants” frame, they also point to recommendations that can begin to address these disparities.
Building Equalizing Schools within Inclusive Communities: Strategies that Redirect the School to Prison Pipeline in the Classroom and Beyond, 2010
(Download)
The Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School
Drawing on the most robust research available, the Houston Institute examined how neighborhoods where African-American and Latino children live, and the schools they attend, directly contribute to the poor health outcomes they experience. The report also offers specific recommendations and highlights promising remedies that align with their analysis.
Healing the Hurt: Trauma-Informed Approaches to the Health of Boys and Young Men of Color, 2010
(Download)
The Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice at Drexel University’s School of Public Health and The Department of Emergency Medicine at Drexel University
After analyzing the role of trauma in the lives of Latino and African-American boys and young men, Drexel University outlines how a trauma-informed approach to the issues these young men and boys face can improve their health. They discovered that not only is trauma seldom explored by the systems assigned to help African-American and Latino boys and young men, but that these institutions often take a punitive approach to these traumatized boys precisely when they need them the most.
The Promise of a Healthy California: Overcoming the Barriers for Men and Boys of Color, 2010
(Download)
PolicyLink
PolicyLink assessed the context of California’s systemic failures when it comes to the health of young men and boys of color. They examined the process to develop public will for change and the need for place-based solutions. Finally, their report highlights successful practices and makes recommendations for policy change and interventions.