An Empirical Examination of Competing Macro-level Perspectives to Understand Race and Increased Social Control in Juvenile Justice Proceedings

• In Event: The Social Control of Minority Youth in Schools and the Juvenile Justice System

Abstract

Both theoretical and empirical studies of decision-making in the juvenile justice system have attempted to identify the contexts of when race matters. The socio-political conditions of communities under a court’s jurisdiction may have important, yet under-examined influences on racial disparities in juvenile court decisions. The objective of the present research is to analyze which theory or perspective provides a better empirical understanding of community-level determinants and the increased social control of minority youth. The theoretical perspectives framing the inquiry are: Blalock’s racial threat theory, Sampson and Laub’s inequality theory, and Tittle and Curran’s symbolic threat perspective. The results have implications for theory, research and policy that center on race and community context in shaping juvenile justice decision-making.

Authors

• Michael J. Leiber, University of South Florida

• Ellen A. Donnelly, University of Delaware

• Yunmei Lu, University of South Florida