The Economic Trajectory of Juvenile Delinquency

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Francesca Defranco (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: Economic status is one of the most important influences when it comes to an individual’s power and privilege. A factor that impact’s an individual’s ability to achieve adequate economic status is the individual’s interaction with the law. However, there are conflicting views and an overall lack of research on whether juvenile delinquency has an impact on a person’s economic status as an adult. This research aims to evaluate the relationship between juvenile delinquency and its impact on the delinquent’s economic status.\n Research has demonstrated that incarceration and offenses against the law as an adult impacts a person’s economic status. But what about juvenile delinquency’s impact on participants' economic outcomes. According to an article by Melanie Taylor contact with the criminal or juvenile justice systems result in subsequent challenges that shape future employment outcomes (Taylor, 2016). Employment outcomes have a direct impact on the economic status of juvenile delinquents.\n The economic indicators that correlate to one’s economic status can be explained by sociological theory. Drawing upon life course theory, existing research is used to understand the impact of delinquency and crime by looking at data collected over the trajectory of one's life and attributing certain characteristics to various categories such as economic or social status (Western, 2002). Many studies highlight the life course theory to explore the impact of juvenile delinquency over the course of time. These studies argue that juvenile delinquency negatively impacts economic status due to interruptions of education or work (Stienberg, et al., 2004). They also suggest that juvenile delinquency impacts the individual by altering their relationship with the social strata and the individuals in that stratification (Uggen, 2000). This altered relationship with society is a direct impact of symbolic interactionism.\n This study will build upon these studies by examining how the event of juvenile delinquency impacts people’s economic trajectory by using factors that impact individuals’ economic status. The study will look at the individuals who participated in the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth.We will also explore how female juvenile offender’s economic trajectory is impacted.Little research has been done on female juvenile delinquents, and though there has been many studies done on the gender disparity between female and male economic status, few have looked at delinquency.

Additional Information

Publication

Thesis

Language: English

Date: 2023

Subjects

Denilquent Economics

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