Parental Incarceration and School Arrest

• In Event: New Research on the Predictors of School Crime

Abstract

Parental incarceration can be a harmful experience for youth that leads to offending and worsened academic outcomes. Research shows that youth with incarcerated parents are more likely to have poor grades, be suspended or expelled, and engage in delinquency and rule breaking. At school, youth with incarcerated parents may also be stigmatized by peers and teachers and face harsher disciplinary practices that can increase their likelihood of contact with the juvenile justice system. These experiences may be more common for Black and male youth with incarcerated parents. Although linkages have been established between parental incarceration, school problems, and crime, it is unclear whether parental incarceration increases risks for school arrests specifically. Accordingly, relying on a population of system-involved youth from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, the purpose of the current study is to identify whether parental incarceration is linked to increased risks for school arrest, and whether this association is stronger for male youth and youth of color. Regression models are specified to determine whether parental incarceration is associated with school arrest, net of controls, and moderating analyses determine whether this association varies by sex and race. The results and their implications for research and policy will be discussed.

Author

• Szilvia Biro, Florida State University