Examining the Consequences of the “Prevalent Life Events” of Arrest and Incarceration among an Urban African-American Cohort

Abstract

The life course perspective has traditionally examined prevalent adult life events, such as marriage and employment, and their potential to redirect offending trajectories. However, for African Americans, the life events of arrest and incarceration are becoming equally prevalent in young adulthood. Therefore, it is critical to understand how these “standard” criminal justice practices, which are designed to deter as well as punish, affect deviance among this population. This study evaluates the long-term consequences of criminal justice intervention on substance use and offending into midlife among an African American community cohort using propensity score matching and multivariate regression analyses. The results largely point to a criminogenic effect of criminal justice intervention on midlife deviance with a particularly strong effect of young adult arrest on rates of violent and property arrest counts into midlife. The theoretical and policy implications of the findings are discussed.

Explaining continuity in substance use: The role of criminal justice system involvement over the life course of an urban African American prospective cohort

“…A key finding is that more arrests by young adulthood, for both men and women, are associated with greater substance use problems in midlife, even after adjusting for earlier substance use problems and criminal behavior. This finding aligns with our previous work with the Woodlawn cohort suggesting a criminogenic impact of interactions with the criminal justice system on substance use problems (Doherty et al, 2016). This relationship could be the result of labeling whereby criminal justice intervention leads to stigma from identification as a criminal encouraging continuity in deviance (Becker, 1963;Lemert, 1951) or through the process of cumulative disadvantage whereby criminal sanctions increase the risk for deviant behaviors by limiting opportunities for attaining conventional social bonds, such as employment and marriage (e.g., Bernburg and Krohn, 2003;Davies and Tanner, 2003;Huebner, 2005;Pager, 2003;Laub, 1993, 1997) and facilitating deviant peer associations (Bernburg et al, 2006;Wiley et al, 2013).…”

“…Similar to therapeutic communities in prisons (Deitch et al, 2000), probation and parole officers could play a more integral role in substance use treatment communities (rather than a monitoring and/or disciplinary role), which may reduce substance use problems along with preventing recidivism of arrest, as the strongest associations relate to continuity in arrests across time, even more so than criminal behavior or substance use problems. Within the Woodlawn cohort only about one-third of those arrested have served time in prison (Doherty et al, 2016); thus, it is critical to address substance use among all those who are arrested regardless of sentencing. Descriptives and Factor Loadings of Substance Use Variables by Gender.…”

“…Research also suggests that criminal arrests increase the risk of substance use or exacerbate existing substance use problems over time. For instance, Doherty et al (2016) evaluate the long-term consequences of criminal justice interventions (i.e., arrest and incarceration) on substance use, self-reported offending, and arrest into midlife in an African American cohort using propensity score methods. Results largely point to a criminogenic effect of criminal justice intervention on midlife deviance with a threefold increase in later substance use disorders following an arrest.…”

Investigating the Offending Histories of Undocumented Immigrants

“…While it may be the case that this divergence reflects systematic crime reporting bias, research by Bersani and Piquero (2017) finds no evidence that immigrants accused of serious crimes under-report their offending and may instead over-report crime compared to their US-born peers. First arrest may trigger increased scrutiny and reduced tolerance for deviance that increases the risk for secondary sanctioning (see Doherty et al 2016;Liberman et al 2014;Morris & Piquero 2013), which may be amplified for the undocumented. Analyses are needed to disentangle whether the pattern of results observed here reflect differential treatment in the process of the administration of the law, differential involvement in crime, or some combination of the two (Piquero 2008).…”

Understanding the Mechanisms of Desistance at the Intersection of Race, Gender, and Neighborhood Context

“…Peer groups are more highly regarded than marriage for urban African American men, in particular (Anderson 1999), suggesting that African American men might be less likely to alter their routine activities upon marriage with respect to spending time with friends (see also Calverley 2013; South 1993). The higher rates of offending and incarceration among African American males living in disadvantaged areas, in particular, have reached the status of an expected stage of the life course (Doherty et al 2015; Pettit and Western 2004). The prevalence of offending and criminal justice interactions may reduce the stigmatization of offending and interacting with other criminals, supporting a dual legitimate and illegitimate lifestyle.…”