esmie chronicles: some research

I think my radar is tweaked toward race and class issues.

In my ongoing investigation of the case of Esmie Tseng, who stands accused of murdering her mother, Shu Yi Zhang, I started a broad search to learn more about how the juvenile justice system works in Kansas. My initial forays into Google were frustrating, so I decided to broaden it to a national search, in hopes of finding someone I could call in, say, Washington, who might know of an expert or activist in Kansas.

And I wound up at this site for Building Blocks for Youth, and they have all these studies about racial disparities in juvenile justice (though they're all based in other places, like Chicago).

One in particular seems apropos of Kansas City: A Tale of Two Jurisdictions: Youth Crime and Detention Rates in Maryland & the District of Columbia.

Looks like I've got some reading to do...