(AP) – St. Louis County’s family court and the U.S. government
have reached a deal meant to resolve allegations that black youth are treated
more harshly than whites and that juveniles often are deprived of constitutional
rights.
Wednesday’s announcement came after more than a year of bargaining to resolve
what the U.S. Department of Justice called its “findings of serious and systemic
violations of juvenile due process and equal protection rights.”
The agreement requires the court to double the number of defense attorneys
available to represent indigent youth and to ensure defense lawyers are timely
appointed and trained.
The investigation from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division was
initiated in 2013 amid complaints that black children and teenagers were treated
unfairly in the family court, which handles about 6,000 youth cases annually.
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