[Missouri] St. Louis County Family Court: Investigation

On July 31, 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice released its investigation findings into the St. Louis County Family Court, finding due process and equal protection violations.

The findings include right to counsel violations by denying constitutionally adequate defense representation, privilege against self-incrimination violations by requiring a child to admit to allegations for diversion, inadequate probable cause determinations and transfer determinations, separation of powers issues between the judiciary and probation, and stark racial disparities at every stage of the proceeding that are unexplainable on grounds other than race.

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Categories: Policy Tool, Resource Library

Tags: 14th Amendment, 5th Amendment, Access to Counsel, Adolescent Development, Black Youth, Conflicts of Interest, Data Collection and Analysis, Detention, Diversion, DOJ, DOJ Action on Juvenile Legal Systems, Due Process, Equal Protection, Interrogation & Statements, Language, Miranda, Pleas, Post-Disposition, Probable Cause, Quality of Representation, Racial and Ethnic Disparities, Racial Justice, Separation of Powers, Specialization, Transfer or Bindover or Certification, Voluntariness, Youth Defense Systems