Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11875/18

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Browsing Electronic Theses and Dissertations by Author "Abate, Anna"

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    Perceptions of the legal system and recidivism: Investigating the mediating role of perceptions of chances for success in juvenile offenders
    (2016-10-13) Abate, Anna; Venta, Amanda; Henderson, Craig; Desforges, Donna
    Youth crime is a significant problem in the United States, and the link between youth delinquency and future adult criminal behavior is well documented (Kalist, Lee, & Spurr, 2015; Paternoster, Brame, & Farrington, 2001). Theories and previous research of perceptions of the legal system indicate that individuals who view interactions with the legal system as respectful and legal decision-making procedures as fair are more likely to comply with the law (Fagan & Tyler, 2005; Paternoster, Brame, Bachman, & Sherman, 1997; Tyler, 1997). Youths’ perceptions of chances for success (Menard & Elliott, 1996) may be linked to both perceptions of the legal system and recidivism, as youths’ perceptions of legal institutions have been linked to their expectations about their own behavior (Lane, Lanza-Kaduce, Frazier, & Bishop, 2002; Schubert, Mulvey, Loughran, & Losoya, 2012), and youths’ perceptions of chances for success have been connected with offending (Iselin, Mulvey, Loughran, Chung, & Schubert, 2012). Because it is well documented that racial and ethnic groups differ in their involvement with the justice system (McNulty & Bellair, 2003), perceptions of the police and legal system (Lee, Steinberg, Piquero, & Knight, 2011; Reitzel & Piquero, 2006), and general perception of future success (Luzzo & McWhirter, 2001; McWhirter, 1997), ethnicity may play a role in the relations between these constructs. Using a sample of serious juvenile offenders, the current study examined relations between perceptions of the legal system and recidivism, exploring the roles of perceptions of chances for success as a mediator and ethnicity as a moderator. The results indicate that, in Black and Hispanic juvenile offenders, but not White, perceptions of chances for success mediates the relation between perceptions of the legal system and recidivism, providing the first analysis of a model examining perceptions of chances for success in the relation between perceptions of the legal system and recidivism. The current study offers support for the suggestion that interventions aimed at preventing youth from engaging in illegal behaviors may need to be tailored to target ethnic-specific attitudes and foster beliefs in ethnic minority youth that they are capable of future success.
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    THE EFFECT OF STEREOTYPE THREAT IN POLICE ENCOUNTERS ON AFFECTIVE AND BEHAVIORAL OUTCOMES
    (2021-04-28) Abate, Anna; Venta, Amanda; Henderson, Craig
    Black and Hispanic individuals experience disproportionate levels of police contact and it has been hypothesized that stereotype threat—the fear of confirming negative stereotypes about one’s group—negatively influences police-minority interactions. It is well documented that experiencing stereotype threat has negative behavioral, affective, cognitive, and health consequences—possibly accounting for disparities in physical/mental health outcomes among racial/ethnic minorities. Thus, the broad aim of this study was to examine the role stereotype threat may play in racial/ethnic minority group interactions with police officers. Using a sample of 142 male college students, the current study examined (a) whether the relation between stereotype threat induction in a legal context and aggressive behavior/negative affective states is mediated by cortisol and testosterone levels, (b) whether previously documented relations between stereotype threat induction and aggressive behavior/negative affective states is mediated by dysfunction in social cognition, and (c) whether race/ethnicity act as a moderator of the stereotype threat effect. Overall, results did not indicate significant relations among the variables of interest. However, a marginally significant moderation effect of race/ethnicity on the relation between stereotype threat and social cognition was found such that, in the stereotype threat induction group, BIPOC status was related to improved social cognition whereas no such relation was found in White participants. The absence of support for hypotheses may be a result of the experimental design, such as small sample and group sizes, a college student sample, measurement issues, or lack of stereotype threat activation. These results may also be due to the possibility that stereotype threat is not as robust in legal encounters as it is in educational settings. Regardless, these results provide important information for future studies.