A recent study by the
AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics, titled
Criminal Justice and School Sanctions Against Nonheterosexual Youth: A National Longitudinal Study, found that nonheterosexual youth were disproportionately represented in police contacts, school expulsions, juvenile arrests and convictions, and adult conviction.
The research noted that these differences were most noticeable for nonheterosexual girls.
Further, these differences are noted despite no greater engagement in illegal or transgressive behaviors exhibited by nonheterosexual youth. As with other DMC related research, while not always being able to explain what causes this disparate treatment, this research does suggest that we need to pay attention to preventing involvement in the system and to the various decision points along the path of involvement.