"A state report released this week found that black and Native juveniles are contacted by law enforcement for legal violations at a higher rate than white, Asian or Hispanic youth.

Anne Hobbs, director of the University of Nebraska at Omaha Juvenile Justice Institute, said the report's authors worked to account for variables that might have skewed the results, such as the seriousness of a juvenile's crime.

"There's still very large disparities," Hobbs said. "There's a lot of reform that's needed."

The Nebraska State Disproportionate Minority Contact Assessment examined minority juveniles' involvement with the justice system in Nebraska. The Nebraska Crime Commission received funding to complete the report from the U.S. Department of Justice, which requires all states to offer data on minority juveniles' involvement with the justice system."

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Kevin Abourezk: Report: Minority youth overrepresented in justice system (The Lincoln Journal Star 4/25)