Native American youth face high incarceration rates in Washington

WASHINGTON – New data highlights alarming disparities in the incarceration rates of Native American children in Washington. According to the Associated Press, information from the nonprofit Sentencing Project and the Federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention shows that from 2019 to 2023, Native American children are over four and a half times more likely to be incarcerated than their white peers.

This disparity has worsened since 2001, when Native American youth were 27 times more likely to face incarceration. While all youth of color encounter unequal treatment in Washington’s legal system, the inequities among Native American children are particularly severe, surpassing national averages, especially for nonviolent offenses.

The situation is more pronounced in rural