Witnesses tell Senate committee Black and Latino youth are more likely to be arrested than issued summonses, widening disparities

Advocates and state officials told the Senate Committee on Juvenile and Emerging Adult Justice that rising arrest rates for low‑level offenses, combined with uneven local practices, are driving more youths into the juvenile justice system and deepening racial disparities.

"To put it simply, Black and Latino youth are being arrested in situations where white youth are more likely to get a court summons," Melissa Threadgill of the Office of the Child Advocate said. Threadgill and other witnesses said that the shift toward arrests — particularly for misdemeanors that historically produced summonses — has increased…