The Effects of Prior Police Contact and Neighborhood Context on Delinquency

• In Event: Police Contact, Procedural Justice, and Delinquency

Abstract

Contact with the police has been linked to negative outcomes including perceptions of legitimacy, calls for service, attitudes toward the police, satisfaction with the police, perceptions of fairness, and future re offending, among others. However, the majority of research has examined the effect of prior police contact among adults, with less attention to its effect on youth. It is possible that contact with the police can positively or negatively influence youths’ subsequent behavior, through deterrence, defiance, and/or labeling mechanisms. The current study uses longitudinal data to examine whether prior contact with police reduces or amplifies delinquency among youth. Implications for theory and future research will also be discussed.

Authors

• Joselyne Chenane, University of Nebraska, Omaha

• Emily Wright, University of Nebraska, Omaha