Abstract

Researchers have established that legal cynicism is linked to violence, deviant behavior, and crime. In response to the potentially dangerous implications of a legally cynical society, research in recent years has attempted to identify experiences and conditions that play a role in the development of legal attitudes. Given that youths' familial and social conditions appear to be influential predictors, this study tests the relationship between parental incarceration and legal cynicism. Data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study were used for this analysis. Results from three OLS regression models indicate that parental incarceration is not a significant predictor of legal cynicism after adjusting for demographic factors. This study supports existing research for some of the risk factors tested and refutes others. Overall, findings do not support the hypothesis that children who have experienced parental incarceration have a heightened risk of legal cynicism in adolescence. Future research may investigate how youths' witness of parental arrest shapes legal attitudes.

Degree

College and Department

Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Sociology

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/