Family Structure and Juvenile Justice Involvement: Examining Family Factors, Delinquency and System Outcomes

• In Event: Pathways to Delinquency: Exploring Risk Indicators of Juvenile Offending

Abstract

This study explores the influence of youth’s family structure on their family function, delinquency, and involvement in the juvenile justice system. Previous research has indicated that extra-legal factors, such as family structure, significantly shape decision-making in juvenile courts, contributing to variability in how youth are treated by court officials. Family structure is an external factor that may be used by court officials to infer the functioning of a youth’s family and their potential risk for delinquency. Despite this, there is limited literature examining the specific role of family structure in juvenile court outcomes. Using data from the LONGSCAN study, this research aims to fill this gap by analyzing the relationship between family structure, family function, and juvenile court outcomes, thereby providing new insights into how these factors may influence the experiences of youth within the system.

Author

• Vitoria De Francisco Lopes, University of Mississippi