The Graduation Pipeline: Investigating the Effects of Juvenile Justice System Contact on High School Graduation Rates

Contact with the juvenile justice system can seriously impact life chances for youth. System contact can lead to significant challenges by disrupting paths to traditional life attainments. Research overwhelmingly points to negative projections from juvenile system exposure. Labeling theory has been used to determine poor educational outcomes, but little work has been done to directly gauge why contact affects the graduating for system-involved students. Further, concepts of strain theory have yet to be sufficiently applied to the prospect of completing high school. Given the systematic similarities between school and the juvenile justice system, the likelihood of reaching academic expectations required to graduate can be shaped by strained encounters connected to experiences with the legal system. Expanding on previous studies that explore the harm of education disruption and academic inadequacies resulting from involvement, the current study conducts a quantitative analysis on Connecticut juvenile court and education records from 2006-2012 to explore whether and how high school graduation rates are affected by different features of contact with the juvenile justice system. This study aims explain the path to graduation for youth with criminal histories by examining the educational effects of detention and judicial handling. Findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge regarding the application of juvenile justice and the intersecting treatment of juveniles in both school and legal settings.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science In Criminal Justice

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Criminal Justice

Year

2022

Author dc:creator

• Sandman, Em

Contributors dc:contributor

• Feodor Gostjev

• juvenile
• justice system
• graduation rates

Repository record dc:identifier

https://vc.bridgew.edu/theses/102

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vc.bridgew.edu:theses-1102