Date of Graduation

5-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Sociology (MA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Sociology and Criminology

Advisor/Mentor

Alexia Angton

Committee Member

Casey T. Harris

Second Committee Member

Michael Niño

Keywords

Criminal Justice Contact; Delinquency; Parental Discipline; School Discipline

Abstract

Prior research states the important role that both parents and schools play in setting children up for success. However, few researchers have studied how parents and schools work in tandem to achieve these outcomes. The current study aims to fill this gap by understanding the relationship between parental harshness and exclusionary discipline at age 9, specifically suspension, and how it affects delinquency and later criminal justice contact at age 15. Using longitudinal data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), this study aimed to answer the following two research questions: 1) Does increased parental harshness and harsh school discipline increase delinquent behavior? 2) Does increased parental harshness and harsh school discipline increase the risk of criminal justice contact, specifically, police stops and arrests? The results show that youth who were suspended at age 9 were more likely to engage in delinquent behavior at age 15. However, youth who felt strongly connected to their school were less likely to engage in delinquent behavior as a result. Parental supervision was significant, showing that parents with high levels of monitoring their children can lead to a higher risk of being stopped by police. Additionally, parental harshness was significant for arrest, showing that experiencing high levels of parental harshness may increase the risk of youth being arrested. Despite these mixed findings, this study adds to the literature by combining both parental and school measures for a more holistic understanding of children’s delinquent behavior and risk of CJ contact.

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