Self-Reported Arrests Among Indigenous Adolescents: a Longitudinal Analysis of Community, Family, and Individual Risk Factors

Abstract

Purpose North American indigenous (American Indian/Canadian First Nations) adolescents are overrepresented in the juvenile justice systems in the USA and Canada. One explanation advanced for disproportionate numbers of racial and ethnic minorities in the justice systems is the unequal distribution of risk factors across groups. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for first arrest within a population sample of indigenous adolescents. Methods The data come from an 8-year longitudinal panel study of indigenous youth (n = 641) from the northern Midwest and Canada, spanning ages 10 to 19 years. We used a discrete-time survival model to estimate the overall hazard of first arrest and change in the arrest hazard over time and included both time-invariant and time varying risk factors. Results The risk of arrest increased over time, although the largest increase occurred between waves 3 and 4, when the adolescents averaged 13.1 and 14.3 years, respectively. The youth had a 55 % probability of being arrested at least once by the end of the study. Of the time-invariant risk factors, exposure to violence, parent arrest, age, and income were associated with overall risk of first arrest. Three time-varying risk factors (alcohol use, marijuana use, and peer delinquency) were associated with changes in the risk of first arrest. Conclusions Being arrested carries significant repercussions for young people, including involvement in the juvenile justice system as well as consequences into adulthood. Communities must go beyond programs that target problem behaviors because community, family, and peer factors are also important.

Structural Violence Perpetrated Against Indigenous Peoples in Canadian Criminal Courts: Meta- Analytic Evidence of Longstanding Sentencing Inequities

“…What the current study elucidated most clearly, though, was the paucity of research related to Indigenous peoples and the criminal justice system. This dearth, noted within both published and unpublished research literatures, can probably be explained in large part by the lack of high quality and detailed data being recorded by provincial corrections, police agencies, and youth and adult courts (Department of Justice, 2018;Reitmanova & Henderson, 2016;Reasons et al, 2016;Reid, 2017;Rudin, 2005;Sittner & Gentzler, 2016;Walter & Andersen, 2016;Zimmerman, 1992). According to Reid (2017), increasingly there are delays in the publications of court statistics by Statistics Canada.…”

The Association Between Sleep Duration and Arrest Among Adolescents

“…Social factors, such as associating with delinquent peers (e.g., Monahan et al, 2014; Sittner & Gentzler, 2016) and gang involvement (e.g., Tapia, 2011), also are correlated with juvenile arrest. For instance, Sittner and Gentzler (2016) found that youths who reported having a close friend who had been in trouble with the police were more than twice as likely to be arrested compared to those who did not associate with delinquent peers.…”

“…Social factors, such as associating with delinquent peers (e.g., Monahan et al, 2014; Sittner & Gentzler, 2016) and gang involvement (e.g., Tapia, 2011), also are correlated with juvenile arrest. For instance, Sittner and Gentzler (2016) found that youths who reported having a close friend who had been in trouble with the police were more than twice as likely to be arrested compared to those who did not associate with delinquent peers. Debate persists as to why this may be the case (e.g., possible self-selection into delinquent peer groups), though the literature suggests that parental monitoring may be an effective form of social control that provides some protection against arrest (Kirk, 2009; Unnever et al, 2003).…”

“…However, ineffective parenting (e.g., authoritarian, inconsistent, etc.) and parental arrest have been associated with an increase in likelihood of arrest among juveniles (e.g., Vidourek et al, 2016; but see also Sittner & Gentzler, 2016).…”

“…Researchers have identified numerous correlates of adolescent arrest, including, among others, poor parenting strategies (Kirk, 2009;Unnever et al, 2003), low socioeconomic status (Fite et al, 2009;Tapia, 2010), associations with delinquent peers and gang membership (Sittner & Gentzler, 2016;Tapia, 2011), low self-control (Beaver et al, 2009;Unnever et al, 2003), and race (Tapia, 2010(Tapia, , 2011). Yet, one factor that has not been considered as a possible predictor of juvenile arrest is adolescent sleep duration.…”