Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

Grace Telesco

Committee Member

Marcelo Castro

Committee Member

Maria Levi-Minzi

Committee Member

Jennifer Allen

Keywords

Adolescence, Delinquency, Foster care, Juvenile arrests, Law enforcement, Placement type

Abstract

Interaction with law enforcement and delinquency are higher among youth in foster care, and they are likely to experience higher incarceration rates and be involved in criminality, which limits their access to education and employment. The problem addressed in this study was the elevated risk of law enforcement contact outcome (LEO) among adolescents and young adults with a history of foster care placement. The purpose of this quantitative research was to investigate differences in the number of LEO contacts and LEO arrests based on foster care placement type among youth in California’s foster care system.

Guided by the social control theory of crime, a comparative research design was adopted to investigate these differences across the different types of foster care placements. CDSS Download Data Law Enforcement Contacts in Children’s Residential Facilities data, which include records of law enforcement contacts in foster care facilities for 2016–2022 from seven congregate foster care groups in California, were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Kruskal-Wallis H test revealed statistically significant differences in the number of LEO contacts and LEO arrests based on foster care placement types for youth in California's foster care system. Differences in total law enforcement contacts and arrest rates between facility types were also significant. Overall, GHs and STRTPs consistently exhibited higher rates of law enforcement involvement, whereas YHPCs generally had lower rates for both.

These findings imply that youth welfare agencies should prioritize the use of foster care placement designs that reduce law enforcement contacts by increasing funding. Facility administrators should also reevaluate policies and support systems within GHs and STRTPs to address factors leading to higher arrest rates.

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