NCJ Number
207765
Journal
Social Problems Volume: 51 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2004 Pages: 549-568
Date Published
November 2004
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study examined the effects of criminal justice contact on subsequent income level for males convicted in the U.S. Federal Court system.
Abstract
Life-course and developmental approaches to the study of criminal behavior contend that crime is related to social stratification. Some of this research focuses on how contact with the criminal justice system impacts various stratification outcomes. The current study analyzed a dataset on 4,445 males convicted in Federal Courts in 8 States between 1973 and 1978 to probe the impact of criminal justice contact, race, family background, education attainment, and age on subsequent monthly income. The study also explored how the timing of the criminal justice contact over the life course affected the stratification (income) outcome; the study employed two variables to this end: arrest before age 24 and incarceration before age 24. Results of nested Ordinary Least Squares regression analyses indicated that contact with the criminal justice system had deleterious effects on subsequent average monthly income; these results were most significant when the criminal justice contact occurred early in the life course. However, the effects of early life criminal justice contact appeared more economically detrimental for Whites than for Blacks. Future research should explore the way in which models that predict average monthly income compare with models that predict other measures of economic status, including hourly wages and occupational prestige. Tables, appendixes, references