Juvenile Court Outcomes Following Youth’s First Arrest: A National Test of the Racial and Ethnic Threat Hypothesis

Abstract

Using nationally representative data, this research examined the associations between indicators of minority threat and juvenile justice processing following a first arrest. At intake, increasing Black presence in the community resulted in leniency, rather than severity. Once adjudicated, the size of the Black population had a nonlinear inverted-U shaped relationship with probability of placement. Increasing Hispanic presence was associated with leniency in disposition, and economic threat was not significantly related outcomes. Indicators of minority threat did not exacerbate outcomes for minority youth. These findings suggest that, contrary to the expectations of minority threat theory, the growing presence of minorities in communities may weaken social control and harsh punishments, particularly once the size of the minority population reaches a critical threshold.

Individual characteristics and community context in decisions to divert or arrest

“…The tendency to apply harsher sanctioning in general, and to racial and ethnic minorities in particular, can be exacerbated by the larger community context (Britt, 2000;DeJong & Jackson, 1998;Freiburger & Jordan, 2011;Steffensmeier & Demuth, 2000;Ulmer & Johnson, 2004). Driven by macro-level theories, studies find considerable evidence that community characteristics such as racial heterogeneity, urbanization, and economic welfare are associated with various justice decisions (Andersen & Ouellette, 2019;Blackmon et al, 2015;Lowery, 2018;Lowery & Burrow, 2019;Regoeczi & Jarvis, 2013;Schlesinger, 2018), and in particular, the decision to divert (Hamilton et al, 2007;Hayes-Smith & Hayes-Smith, 2009;Leiber et al, 2016;Leiber & Stairs, 1999;Rodriguez, 2007;Rodriguez, 2013). These macro-level factors can condition how police approach a situation, dirving them to be more or less punitive.…”

The association between experiencing police arrest and suicide ideation among emerging young adults: Does race matter?

“…Marijuana arrest was based on the responses to the following question "Were you charged (the first time) for the possession, sale, use, growing, or manufacturing of marijuana/hashish?" First arrest was selected, as it has been applied in previous studies as a proxy for subsequent outcomes (Andersen and Ouellette, 2019;Lau et al, 2018;Tillson et al, 2017).…”

“…This was based on responses to the following question: “During the past 12 months, did you ever seriously think about committing suicide?” Responses were coded as a binary variable, with 1 representing “yes,” and 0 representing “no.” Lifetime arrest was indexed based on the following question “Have you ever been arrested?,” and also coded binary. Marijuana arrest was based on the responses to the following question “Were you charged (the first time) for the possession, sale, use, growing, or manufacturing of marijuana/hashish?” First arrest was selected, as it has been applied in previous studies as a proxy for subsequent outcomes ( Andersen and Ouellette, 2019 ; Lau et al, 2018 ; Tillson et al, 2017 ).…”

The Impact of Concentrated Affluence and Disadvantage on the Pre-Adjudication Detention Decision: A Status Characteristics Approach

“…These findings were moderated by various legal, risk factors (specific status characteristics), such as temperament, attitudes, and perceived abilities and functions in the community (Unnever & Hembroff, 1988), a finding consistent with other SCT and sentencing research (Dilks et al, 2015). Community-level characteristics such as concentrated disadvantage, considered diffuse characteristics under SCT, are significant predictors of correctional confinement and often intertwined with race (Andersen & Ouellette, 2019; Bishop & Leiber, 2012; Lowery et al, 2018; Rodriguez, 2010, 2013; Thomas et al, 2013). Under SCT, juveniles coming from disadvantaged backgrounds, in comparison with those of affluent backgrounds, are more likely to receive imprisonment sentences, predispositional detention (Tasca et al, 2010), and be removed from their homes, especially in areas where home life at both the individual level and community level was viewed as unstable (Wu & Fuentes, 1998).…”

“…Research in the juvenile justice system has shown and continues to show the many ways that outcomes are influenced differently across races throughout various juvenile justice processes (Andersen & Ouellette, 2019; Bishop & Leiber, 2012; Campbell et al, 2018; Freiburger & Jordan, 2011; Peck et al, 2016; Rodriguez, 2010). Moreover, the following has been empirically observed: (a) race directly and indirectly (through individual, legal, or community factors) affects courtroom outcomes, (2) racial disparities happen more frequently at the beginning rather than at the end of the juvenile court process, and (3) racial minorities (particularly Black and non-White Hispanic) continue to be overrepresented in the juvenile justice system (Armstrong & Rodriguez, 2005; Bridges & Steen, 1998; Engen et al, 2002; Leiber & Johnson, 2008; Peck et al, 2014; Rodriguez, 2010, 2013; Secret & Johnson, 1997; Thomas et al, 2013; Zane, 2018).…”