All in the Family? Assessing Trauma Associated with Family Members’ Justice System Involvement

• In Event: Turning Points to Desistance for Today's Youth

Abstract

Research indicates that parental incarceration is linked to behavioral and emotional maladjustment among youth. But beyond parental incarceration, less is known about how familial involvement in the criminal justice system affects youth, particularly over time. This is an important omission because studies indicate that familial justice system involvement is a traumatic experience for many youth and serves to increase incarceration risk. Using data from the Pathways to Desistance study, our research examines the outcomes of 1,354 adjudicated adolescents and young adults over the course of 7 years to understand how family members’ justice system contact affects mental health (e.g., anxiety, depression, hostility), substance use, offending behavior, and future justice system involvement. Unlike prior research, we include multiple types of family relations including parents, siblings, and other relatives (e.g. grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins) to understand whether these negative consequences are limited to immediate family with justice system contact or include extended family as well.

Authors

• Stephanie Ann Wiley, University of Missouri - St. Louis

• Lee Ann Slocum, University of Missouri - St. Louis