School Pathways to the Juvenile Justice System

Hughes, Tammy L.; Raines, Tara C.; Malone, Celeste M.

doi:10.1177/2372732219897093

Cited by 17 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 32 publications

(35 reference statements)

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“…Also consistent with the extant literature (Desai et al, 2012; Leiber et al, 2011; Piquero, 2008), Latinx, Black non-Latinx, and multiracial participants were significantly more likely to recidivate compared to White non-Latinx participants, after controlling for other demographics, historical legal risk factors, and two dynamic criminogenic needs (i.e., alcohol-related consequences and peer deviancy). This finding is likely reflective of racial bias documented in studies of school disciplinary practices (Okonofua & Eberhardt, 2015) and referrals to juvenile court (Hughes et al, 2020); police perceptions of criminality (Eberhardt et al, 2004); juvenile court staff diversion decisions (Love & Morris, 2019); prosecutorial discretion (Smith & Levinson, 2012); juvenile court judges’ disposition decisions (Peck & Jennings, 2016), including sentences of life without parole (Sterling, 2013); and racist media descriptions of adult Black defendants increasing the likelihood of execution (Goff et al, 2008). Thus, there is ample evidence that racial bias permeates most, if not all, aspects of the justice system and accounts for a large portion of the variance in continued involvement in the juvenile justice system as well as at initial court contact for youth, per our study, regardless of their individual-level risk.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Peer, substance use, and race-related factors associated with recidivism among first-time justice-involved youth.

Holloway¹,

Folk²,

Ordorica³

et al. 2022

Law and Human Behavior

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Objectives: Peer deviancy and substance-related consequences are dynamic criminogenic needs associated with increased risk of recidivism for justice-involved youth. Most prior research in this area, however, is based on samples of primarily male youth charged with delinquent offenses. Because identification of dynamic criminogenic needs is essential to delinquency risk reduction efforts, the purpose of this study was to examine the role of peer deviancy and substance-related consequences in a sample of youth at first contact with the juvenile justice system, with relatively equal representation of males and females and youth charged with delinquent and status offenses. Hypotheses: We hypothesized that higher levels of peer deviancy and more severe alcohol-and cannabis-related consequences would predict recidivism. We also hypothesized that Black and brown youth would be more likely to recidivate than non-Latinx White participants. Method: First-time justice-involved youth (N = 401) aged 12-18 and their caregivers reported independent variables at baseline (demographic, legal, psychiatric, and peer factors). Official records of recidivism (i.e., number of new charges 2 years later) was the dependent variable for nested multivariate negative binomial regression models. Results: Peer deviancy reported by caregivers, but not by youth, predicted recidivism 2 years later. Consequences related to alcohol, but not cannabis, increased recidivism risk. Finally, participants who were younger, male, charged with a delinquent offense, and Black, multiracial, and/or Latinx were more likely to recidivate than non-Latinx White participants after controlling for covariates. Conclusions: Results highlight the influence of institutionalized racism on later court involvement for youth of color at first court contact, regardless of individual risk. Deviant peers and consequences of alcohol are salient intervention targets for this population. Public Significance StatementThis study highlights the need to identify substance use and peer deviancy among youth at their first contact with the court system. For clinicians, these findings may inform risk assessment and case planning for justice-involved youth historically underrepresented in research (i.e., females, youth charged with a status offense, youth at first court contact). Finally, institutional racism influences continued court contact above and beyond individual behavioral determinants, making it imperative to develop and test multilevel recidivism prevention interventions that explicitly address structural racism within the legal system.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Peer, substance use, and race-related factors associated with recidivism among first-time justice-involved youth.

Holloway¹,

Folk²,

Ordorica³

et al. 2022

Law and Human Behavior

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“…Mounting evidence suggests that suspension and expulsion from school actually places children on a trajectory to do worse in school, have worse relationships with their teachers, get punished more frequently, and be at higher risk of dropping out (Noltemeyer et al, 2015). In addition, children who are suspended and expelled from school are actually more likely to end up incarcerated-a snowball of consequences and experiences linked to school exclusion that has been called the school to prison pipeline, or in this case the preschool to prison pipeline (Hughes et al, 2020). In fact, a recent study suggested that racial inequalities in arrest rates would decrease by as much as 16% if we were able to equalize the risk of school-based punishment between Black and White school children (Barnes & Motz, 2018), demonstrating the need to identify predictors of expulsion that can be targeted to reduce overall and disparate rates of early exclusionary discipline.…”

Section: Preschool Expulsionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inhibitory Control, Student–Teacher Relationships, and Expulsion Risk in Preschools: An Indirect Effects Path Analysis

Loomis

Freed

Coffey

2022

Early Childhood Educ J

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Identifying factors related to expulsion risk is of great need due to the high and disparate rates of young children routinely excluded from preschool classrooms. This study aimed to explore the pathways to expulsion risk among a sample of 88 preschool children from 22 Head Start classrooms. Data were collected on children's inhibitory control using the Child Behavior Questionnaire, the closeness subscale of the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale, and on children's overall expulsion risk using the Preschool Expulsion Risk Measure. Direct pathways from children's inhibitory control and student-teacher closeness to expulsion risk were significant. Results indicated that student-teacher closeness mediated the relationship between children's inhibitory control and expulsion risk, indicating the importance of supporting positive relationships in preschool classrooms to disrupt pathways to expulsion. Implications for practices and future research to prevent expulsion are discussed.

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“…These decision points may be reflected in individual teacher biases as well as policies that replicate disparities, for example zero tolerance discipline policies, and likely also are reflected in system-level policies that drive school resources as well. Practices and policies to address these disparate rates, and the influence of victimization, should include school-based interventions that address teacher-student relationships, school services/resources, as well as policies that hold schools accountable for inequities in school discipline rates (see Hughes et al, 2020). All of these practices and policies should be examined in the context of addressing the interaction between victimization, racial bias, and school discipline.…”

Section: Racial Biasmentioning

confidence: 99%

School Discipline as a Consequence of Violent Victimization in Adolescence: Understanding the Mediating Roles of Head Injury and Behavior

Loomis

Sonsteng-Person

Jaggers

et al. 2020

J Interpers Violence

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Pathways from violence to head injury and poor long-term outcomes have been found among numerous populations, however, have not yet been widely examined with youth exposed to violence. Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are linked to a range of consequences salient to adolescent development and well-being, such as impulsivity, academic abilities, and emotional processing. This gap in research has led to a missed opportunity to understand the consequences of youth victimization, particularly within the academic setting. The current study examined whether head injury and problem behaviors mediate the relationships between victimization and suspension/expulsion using data from the Pathways to Desistance Study, a multi-site, longitudinal study of serious adolescent offenders age 14–18. A sample of male youth who had witnessed violence ( n = 1,094) reported a total score of victimization, number of early behavior problems (i.e., cheating, fighting, etc.), ever having a head injury (32.9%), and number of times suspended (adjusted M = 13.13; SD = 19.31) or expelled (adjusted M = 0.65; SD = 0.99). Structural equation modeling was used to examine direct and indirect pathways from victimization to suspension and expulsion through head injury and behavior. Direct pathways from victimization to school discipline were significant; indirect pathways mediated by only head injury were not significant, but indirect pathways through only problem behavior and through TBI and problem behavior were significant for both expulsion and suspension. Results suggest that youth who have been victimized are at higher risk for both suspension and expulsion and that this risk may be, in part, explained through increased head injury and problem behaviors. TBI screenings/services for violence-exposed youth and trauma-informed school-based services may help to deter trajectories toward suspension and expulsion but should be developed with attention to the influence of racial bias on pathways to school discipline.

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School Pathways to the Juvenile Justice System

Cited by 17 publications

References 32 publications

Peer, substance use, and race-related factors associated with recidivism among first-time justice-involved youth.

Peer, substance use, and race-related factors associated with recidivism among first-time justice-involved youth.

Inhibitory Control, Student–Teacher Relationships, and Expulsion Risk in Preschools: An Indirect Effects Path Analysis

School Discipline as a Consequence of Violent Victimization in Adolescence: Understanding the Mediating Roles of Head Injury and Behavior

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