How Does Early Adulthood Arrest Alter Substance use Behavior? Are There Differential Effects by Race/Ethnicity and Gender?

Abstract

Purpose Much criminal justice research has ignored racial/ethnic and gender differences in substance use subsequent to criminal justice involvement. This paper investigated how early adulthood arrest (i.e., 18 to 21 years of age) influences individuals’ subsequent transitions from non-substance use to substance use, and substance use to non-substance use through age 30. We also consider if these relationships differ by race/ethnicity and gender. Processes proscribed by labeling theory subsequent to getting arrested are considered. Methods We analyzed 15 waves of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997. Multinomial logistic regressions were performed using Stata software version 14. Results We found racial/ethnic differences in the effect of arrest on subsequent substance use, particularly marijuana. Being arrested was associated with shifting non-binge drinkers and non-marijuana users into binge drinking and marijuana use; as well as shifting binge drinkers and marijuana users into non-use. This pattern was most evident among White and Black men. For Black men, the association between arrest and both becoming a binge drinker and becoming a non-binge drinker was experienced most strongly during their early twenties. Women’s patterns in substance use transitions following an arrest were less clear than for the men. Conclusion Some results, particularly transitioning into marijuana use, offer qualified support for processes proscribed through labeling theory. Findings that arrest shifts individuals into non-marijuana use suggest that factors not accounted for by labeling theory – arrest serving as a teachable moment for those using substances - may be at play.

Individual characteristics and community context in decisions to divert or arrest

“…Although this disparate application of punishment or diversion is well established in the literature, it is additionally concerning in a program such as civil citation, which diverts juveniles away from the justice system at one of the earliest points of contact. As prior research on labeling and cumulative disadvantage demonstrates, receiving a delinquent label early on can lead to increasingly negative outcomes in the future (Bernburg, 2019; Chiricos et al, 2007; Hassett‐Walker et al, 2017; Lehmann et al, 2019; Sampson & Laub, 1997).…”

“…These disparities in justice decisions are particularly relevant in relation to the labeling perspective and the application of diversion programs. Studies of the racialization of crime find that not only are labels—such as delinquent—applied disproportionately across racial and ethnic groups, but also that the resulting label has disproportionate effects on these groups (Bernburg, 2019; Bontrager et al, 2005; Hassett‐Walker et al, 2017; Lehmann et al, 2019). For example, a study on guideline departures in Florida found not only that black juveniles were more likely to experience upward departures, but also that among those youth that received these harsher sanctions, minority youth had higher risks of recidivism (Lehmann et al, 2019).…”

Examining Arrest and Cigarette Smoking in Emerging Adulthood

“…As was mentioned, the present inquiry is a follow-up to an earlier study by Hassett-Walker et al 81 that similarly examined how arrest in emerging adulthood influenced transitions in binge drinking and marijuana use. That study similarly found that arrest from 18 to 21 years of age influenced shifts-both increases and decreases-in substance use, particularly among men, and that there were differences by race and ethnicity.…”

“…Of specific interest were whether there were differential effects by race/ethnicity and gender, both of which have been under-examined. This is a follow-up inquiry to a previously published study by Hassett-Walker et al 81 that examined transitions in substance use (marijuana, binge drinking) following an arrest. The following hypotheses are tested: H1: Arrest in early adulthood will affect smoking transitions, leading to increased smoking among those arrested H2: Early adulthood arrest will differentially affect individuals by race/ethnicity, with black and Hispanic individuals experiencing greater transitions into increased smoking than white individuals H3: The differential impact of race on smoking transitions will be different between males and females…”

“…Of specific interest were whether there were differential effects by race/ethnicity and gender, both of which have been under-examined. This is a follow-up inquiry to a previously published study by Hassett-Walker et al 81 that examined transitions in substance use (marijuana, binge drinking) following an arrest. The following hypotheses are tested:…”