Kristin Y. Mack

The Individual And Joint Effects Of Race, Gender, And Family Status On Juvenile Justice Decision-Making

Relying on interpretations of the symbolic threat thesis as a theoretical framework, in particular the emphasis on the perceptions of decision-makers and stereotyping, the authors examine the extent to which the effects of race on youth justice outcomes are influenced by gender and family status. They are especially interested in the individual and joint effects among the three. Although some studies in the adult literature have examined these variables, research on the influence of race, gender, and family status on juvenile justice decision-making is lacking. The inquiry is on four juvenile court jurisdictions in Iowa. The results from logistic regressions indicate that being African American affects justice outcomes, outcomes for Whites are conditioned by gender and family status, and decision-making should be viewed as a process involving both severe and lenient outcomes.

CHILDHOOD FAMILY DISRUPTIONS AND ADULT WELL-BEING: THE DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF DIVORCE AND PARENTAL DEATH

This study draws on attachment theory and social learning theory and uses data from the National Survey of Families and Households to examine the differential effects of childhood family disruptions on adult well-being. Comparisons are made between adults who experienced parental divorce,adults who experienced parental death, and adults who were raised in intact families (N = 4,341).The present study differs from previous research by making direct comparisons between different family disruption groups, assessing the effects of family disruptions that occur before age 19, and including multiple measures of adult well-being as dependent variables. Consistent with hypotheses and inferences made from comparisons with adults from intact families, adults who experienced parental divorce report lower levels of parent–child relationship quality, higher levels of self-confidence, and lower levels of depression than adults who experienced parental death during childhood.Therefore, studies that fail to take type of childhood family disruption into account will lead to inaccurate and misleading conclusions about the effects of these experiences on adult outcomes.

Family Structure, Family Processes, Economic Factors, and Delinquency: Similarities and Differences by Race and Ethnicity

Using data from the Add Health Study, the authors examined relationships among family structure, family processes, and economic factors with delinquency and to what extent similarities and differences may exist for Whites, African Americans, and Hispanics. Results from negative binomial regression analyses indicated that, in general, of the family processes, maternal attachment was consistently found to be an important predictor of nonserious and serious delinquency irrespective of family structure, economic factors, and race and ethnicity. The results are discussed within the context of Hirschis original interpretation of social control theory, and future directions for research are suggested.

The effects of occupation and education on punitive orientations among juvenile justice personnel

The objective of this present research was to examine the interrelationships between occupational role and education experiences with support for punitive attitudes among juvenile justice personnel. Multivariate analyses revealed that probation officers were less likely than correctional officers and teachers who worked in correctional facilities to indicate support for punitive responses to delinquent behavior. Increases in education reduced adherence to punishment orientations. Contrary to expectations, educational background did not mediate the effect of occupational role on support for punitiveness. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Race, Gender, Single-Mother Households, and Delinquency A Further Test of Power-Control Theory

Using power-control theory as the theoretical framework, the present study examines the gender gap in delinquency for White and African American youth from single-mother households. The research is driven by the need to focus more attention on understanding how delinquency theories apply across different racial groups. Results from both bivariate and multivariate analyses indicate that, with few exceptions, there are significant gender gaps in delinquency for both White and African American youth. Therefore, it appears that gender, more than race, influences nonserious delinquency among youth from single-mother families. These findings suggest that further development of power-control theory may lie in rethinking the classification of single-mother households as inherently balanced, or egalitarian, in nature.

Cross-national homicide: a review of the current literature

Since LaFree’s review of 34 cross-national homicide studies in 1999, an additional 50 studies have been published on this topic. There have been a few reviews of the extant literature, and a meta-analysis of cross-national predictors of homicide. However, none of these have directly assessed the degree to which the subsequent research has heeded the recommendations provided by LaFree, nor considered the long-term implications of his analysis for ongoing cross-national homicide research. We extend the literature by updating the review conducted by LaFree and detailing the major changes that have occurred in this body of research since the late 1990s. Our review reveals that recent studies appear to have taken into account LaFree’s recommendations, particularly in regard to data sources, theoretical perspectives, and variable choices. We conclude that while advances in this field have been made, there are issues that have remained problematic over time and should be considered by researchers engaged in cross-national homicide research.

RACE, AGE, AND JUVENILE JUSTICE DECISION MAKING

ABSTRACT Recent theoretical perspectives explore the joint effects of race and age on decision-making in criminal and juvenile justice proceedings. Underlying these approaches is a focus on the use of racial stereotyping and decision-makers’ perceptions of minorities as threatening, especially young African Americans. While there is some empirical inquiry into the combination effects of race and age on decision-making in the criminal justice system, little is done with the juvenile justice system. This is a critical omission since unlike criminal proceedings, age by itself is traditionally treated as a legally justified factor that can be considered by decision-makers to arrive at decisions for juvenile outcomes. Using an interpretation of the symbolic threat thesis, we attempt to address this void in the literature by examining the validity of three hypotheses that involve the individual and joint effects of race and age on juvenile justice outcomes. The results provide partial support for the consideration of both race and age to expand our understanding of the contextual nature of social control in general and decision-making in particular.

Probation Officer Recommendations for Sentencing Relative to Judicial Practice: The Implications for African Americans

A number of studies have been conducted that assess the role of the prosecutor on judicial decision making in regard to the differential treatment African Americans may receive relative to Whites. Missing from this inquiry has been consideration of the influence that probation officers may have on this process. In the present study, the focal concerns perspective and prior research are used as background to understand the concordance between probation officer sentencing recommendations and decision making by judges and the extent to which this relationship may be tempered by the race of the offender.

The Effects of Early Parental Death on Sibling Relationships in Later Life

The present study draws on elements of kinship and life course perspectives to examine the influence of parental death during childhood on adult sibling contact and closeness. Using data from the National Survey of Families and Households (N = 3,684), comparisons are made between adults who experienced early parental death and those with no history of childhood family disruptions, and between adults who experienced early maternal death and those who experienced paternal death during childhood. Results from Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression analyses indicate that adults who experienced parental death during childhood do not have more sibling contact, but are closer to their siblings in adulthood than adults who grew up in intact families. In addition, adults who experienced maternal death during childhood have less sibling contact than adults who experienced paternal death, but there are not differences between these two groups in terms of closeness. These findings indicate that it is important to assess the long-term impact of early parental death on adult outcomes and that gender of the deceased parent may have more significant implications for some dimensions of adult sibling relationships than others.

The Effects of Family Structure and Family Processes on Externalizing and Internalizing Behaviors of Male and Female Youth: A Longitudinal Examination

The present study examined potential gender differences in the effects of family structure and family processes on externalizing and internalizing behavioral outcomes among youth over time. Using data from waves one through three of the Add Health study, results indicated that the relationship between family structure and family processes on behavioral outcomes varied depending on the specific externalizing or internalizing behavior. Family structure directly influenced three different externalizing behaviors, but indirectly influenced internalizing behaviors through its effect on maternal attachment and to some degree parental permissiveness. The long-term influence of family structure, family processes, and later externalizing and internalizing behaviors is complex. These relationships played out similarly across both male and female youth, suggesting that the effect of living in a single-parent home, subsequent family processes, and individual behavior and well-being may not be different across gender.