Poster #210 - The Impact of ACEs on Later Desistance Among Serious Juvenile Offenders from a Broken Family Composition

• In Event: ASC Poster Session I

Abstract

The current study aims to contribute to the overall knowledge of desistance patterns among juveniles by exploring them among serious juvenile offenders who come from a broken home. Utilizing the Pathways to Desistance (PTD) dataset, this study uses logistical regression to examine the impact of family composition on later desistance while controlling for various adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) one might experience. Two research questions guide this study: (1) Does family composition (i.e., “broken homes”) impact later desistance among serious adolescent offenders, while controlling for important criminological predictors (i.e., self-control and antisocial peer influence)? (2) Is the quality of one’s home environment (i.e., parental warmth/hostility, ACEs) more impactful in the desistance process than family composition? Important implications for the findings of this study will be discussed.

Author

• Olivia Franklin Holt, Georgia State University