The Effect of Father's Presence on Lifetime Arrests

• In Event: Parenting and Juvenile Delinquency

Abstract

Over the past several decades, many have suggested a correlation between some adolescent crime and father absence. Some single-parent female-headed families are at risk for numerous stresses because of limited financial resources. Children living in father-absent households may face increased incarceration risks due to lack of supervision, time with parents, and lower attachment to nonresidential fathers. Others have stated it is not the structure of the family itself that causes delinquent behaviors, but the relationships within the structure. Past research has also excluded the fact that male adult family members, such as uncles and grandfathers, serve as role models for children whose fathers are not present in the home. This study examined the impact of father’s presence during adolescence on lifetime arrest by early adulthood. The data show having a relationship with a father figure reduces the odds of lifetime arrest by early adulthood. These results also show that despite the father’s physical absence from the home, a good relationship with any father figure can moderate the effects of a single female headed household on early adult arrests.

Author

• Alesa Liles, Georgia College and State University