The Impact of Income and Family Structure on Delinquency
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Longitudinal cohort survey analysis (NLSY), graded by design analogy for economics
OpenAlex W2112440803 · doi:10.1080/15140326.2002.12040577
What was done
Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY), the authors evaluated the impact of family income and various dimensions of family structure on youths' contact with the criminal justice system between ages 14 and 22 within an economic utility framework of parental control.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical estimates, effect sizes, or confidence intervals. It states qualitatively that the presence of a father in the home was the single most important factor affecting delinquent outcomes, and that all other factors, including family income, were much less important.
Why it matters
The paper suggests that family composition, specifically the presence of a father, plays a more substantial role than financial resources in reducing youth involvement with the justice system.
Limits
The abstract does not state the sample size, specific delinquency metrics, or numerical effect sizes. As an observational analysis, unmeasured confounding influencing both family structure and delinquency cannot be ruled out.
Cited by
- partial When a boy loses a male role model through death, divorce, or abandonment, he becomes more likely to be incarcerated than to graduate from college.