Examining the Varying Effects of Juvenile Arrest on College Enrollment for Racially/Ethnically Diverse Youth: The Role of School-Level Factors

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Friday 7:45 am
  In Poster Session: Examining the Varying Effects of Juvenile Arrest on College Enrollment for Racially/Ethnically Diverse Youth: The Role of School-Level Factors

Abstract

Although college access has improved for youth with criminal justice involvement, their college enrollment remains limited. Drawing on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) and restricted NLSY97 school survey data, this study employs multinomial logistic regression to examine how juvenile arrests affect college enrollment and whether school factors mediate this relationship. The results indicate that juvenile arrests significantly reduce the likelihood of enrollment in both 2- and 4-year institutions. This negative relationship is mediated by parental educational attainment, but not by school-level factors. However, among justice-involved youth, those who attended high schools with higher rates of 4-year college-going peers were more likely to enroll in college themselves, even after accounting for individual and family characteristics.

Authors

• Royel M. Johnson, University of Southern California

• Hyung-Jung Kim, SUNY - Cortland