Effects of Juvenile Arrest on Immediate College Enrollment: The Role of Race/Ethnicity and Parental Education.
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| Title: | Effects of Juvenile Arrest on Immediate College Enrollment: The Role of Race/Ethnicity and Parental Education. |
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| Authors: | Johnson, Royel M. (AUTHOR), Kim, Hyung-Jung (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Higher Education. 2026, Vol. 97 Issue 2, p247-274. 28p. |
| Subjects: | Arrest, College enrollment, Hispanic American youth, Equality, Ethnicity, Educational attainment, Higher education, Parenting education |
| Abstract: | Youth with juvenile arrest records face significant barriers to higher education, yet their experiences remain underexamined in college access research. Guided by Sampson and Laub's life course theory of cumulative disadvantage and Perna's model of college choice, this study investigates how juvenile arrests affect immediate enrollment in 2-year and 4-year colleges among Black, Latine, and white youth. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY:97) and logistic regression anlaysis, findings reveal that arrests significantly hinder college enrollment, with effects moderated by race/ethnicity and mediated by parental education. A significant interaction indicates that Latine youth with arrest records are disproportionately less likely to enroll in 4-year colleges compared to their white peers. Additionally, racial/ethnic disparities in 4-year enrollment are substantially mediated by parents' educational attainment, with parental education fully offsetting the impact of arrest for Black youth. These findings highlight how juvenile legal involvement contributes to cumulative racialized disadvantage and signal the need for targeted policy and institutional reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Youth with juvenile arrest records face significant barriers to higher education, yet their experiences remain underexamined in college access research. Guided by Sampson and Laub's life course theory of cumulative disadvantage and Perna's model of college choice, this study investigates how juvenile arrests affect immediate enrollment in 2-year and 4-year colleges among Black, Latine, and white youth. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY:97) and logistic regression anlaysis, findings reveal that arrests significantly hinder college enrollment, with effects moderated by race/ethnicity and mediated by parental education. A significant interaction indicates that Latine youth with arrest records are disproportionately less likely to enroll in 4-year colleges compared to their white peers. Additionally, racial/ethnic disparities in 4-year enrollment are substantially mediated by parents' educational attainment, with parental education fully offsetting the impact of arrest for Black youth. These findings highlight how juvenile legal involvement contributes to cumulative racialized disadvantage and signal the need for targeted policy and institutional reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 00221546 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/00221546.2025.2526306 |
