Tampa Bay Black and brown girls disproportionate in criminal system

Black school-aged girls in Tampa Bay are disproportionately arrested, suspended and incarcerated, a new report shows.

Driving the news: Creative Loafing highlighted the staggering numbers in a report by Jacksonville non-profit the Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center:

• In the 2019-2020 period, Black girls made up 55% of arrests in public K-12 schools in Pinellas County and 86% of girls incarcerated, even though they're only 19% of the school-aged population. 82% of girls arrested under age 12 were Black.
• Hillsborough and Pinellas are two of seven Florida counties that charged 10 or more girls aged 6-12 with a felony offense in the 2019-2020 period.
• In Pasco County, 21% of girls arrested were Black, even though Black girls are only 8% of the county's school-aged kids.
• A Hillsborough County girl was one of 19 Black girls transferred to the adult system during the 2019-2020 period.

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