Pathways to Injustice: LGBTQ Youth, the Child Welfare System, and the Criminal Legal System.

• In Event: Gender and the Juvenile Justice System

Abstract

While sparse, existing research indicates that LGBTQ youth are overrepresented in both the child welfare system and the criminal legal system in the United States. Furthermore, research has identified strong pathways to juvenile delinquency for a disproportionate number of LGBTQ youth. These pathways may reflect the lack of support services, and home placement permanence specifically for LGBTQ young people. This paper explores the relationships between out-of-home placement as a child and later contact with the criminal legal system. We hypothesize that the relationship between being in out-of-home care and being involved with the criminal legal system is stronger among LGBTQ youth. Using longitudinal data, we examine the strength of the relationship between child welfare contact (extent and nature) and contact with the criminal legal system (extent and nature) and the potential interaction effect of identifying as LGBTQ.

Authors

• Jennifer A. Vanderminden, University of North Carolina Wilmington

• Carrie Buist, Grand Valley State University