Effects of Self-Control, Gang Membership, and Parental Attachment/Identification on Police Contacts Among Latino and African American Youths

• NCJ Number: 239286
• Journal: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 56 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2012 Pages: 218-238
• Date Published: April 2012
• Author(s): Jamie L. Flexon; Richard G. Greenleaf; Arthur J. Lurigio
• Length: 21 pages
• Grant Number(s): 98-IJ-CX-0077
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)

Annotation

This study assessed the correlates of self-control and police contact in a sample of Chicago public high school students.

Abstract

This study assessed the correlates of self-control and police contact in a sample of Chicago public high school students. The investigation examined the effects of parental attachment/identification, family structure, and peer association on self-control and the effects of parental attachment/identification, family structure, peer association, and self-control on police contact. Differences between African-American and Latino youth on the predictors of the two dependent measures were tested in separate regression models. Weak parental attachment/identification and gang affiliation (peer association) predicted low self-control among all students. Among African-American youth, only weak maternal attachment/identification predicted low self-control; both weak maternal attachment/identification and gang affiliation predicted low self-control among Latino youth. Gang affiliation predicted police stops (delinquency) among African-Americans but not among Latinos. However, both African-American and Latino students with lower self-control were more likely to be stopped by the police than those with higher self-control. (Published Abstract)