Parental Incarceration, Identity, and Crime

• In Event: Intergenerational Effects of Parental Deviance and Incarceration

Abstract

Although prior research shows an association between parental incarceration and criminality (e.g., Aaron & Dallaire, 2010; Besemer, Van der Geest, Murray, Bijleveld, & Farrington, 2011; Geller, Cooper, Garfinkel, Schwartz-Soicher, & Mincy 2012; Roettger & Swisher, 2011; Swisher & Shaw-Smith, 2015), research has progressed little in specifying the mechanisms that underlie these observed associations. However, it is plausible that identity processes may be central to understanding intergenerational continuity as well as discontinuity in these behavioral patterns. Researchers analyzing qualitative data (Boudin & Zeller-Berkman, 2010) and using mixed methods (Giordano, 2010) have suggested that parental incarceration influences adolescent identity formation. Thus, identity processes may mediate previously observed associations, and may also be implicated as some children develop more prosocial behavioral trajectories. It is important to examine the influence of parental incarceration on identity over time because it is plausible that children actively craft their identities to be consistent with or in contrast to parents’ identities and lifestyles. Using data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS) (n = 1,321), this investigation explores the endorsement of deviant (‘troublemaker’) and sexualized (‘sexy/hot’) identities as factors that influence the association between parental incarceration and antisocial behavior.

Authors

• Jessica Finkeldey, Bowling Green State University

• Monica Longmore, Bowling Green State University

• Peggy Giordano, Bowling Green State University

• Wendy Manning, Bowling Green State University