Identifying Strain in the Lives of Crossover Youth: An Application of General Strain Theory on Youth Who Cross between Foster Care and Juvenile Justice

Background and Purpose: Up to 60% of youth in juvenile justice have previous child welfare experience. Identifying factors that impact crossing from the child protective system into the juvenile justice system is essential to developing interventions targeting youth success and derailing the criminal pathway of many adolescents. Criminological theory has a long history in its quest to examine the root causes of crime and understanding why individuals commit crime. General Strain Theory (GST) states that the pressure to engage in criminality comes from society's expectations, combined with the lack of resources to meet those expectations. Instances of strain that are close in duration, longer lasting in effect, and greater in magnitude have more pronounced impacts than other instances of strain. Youth living in foster care experience strain in myriad ways. Through analysis of current research examining national data on youth who have experience in both child welfare and juvenile justice, this paper will explore factors of GST related to crossing over. Methods: The current analysis applies the theoretical lens of GST to examine the results from a national study of youth who cross between foster care and juvenile justice using data compiled from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting System and the National Youth in Transition Database. The theoretical analysis model proposed by Robbins, Chatterjee, and Canda was used. Binary logistic regression was conducted for each independent variable on each of the three outcome variables (adjudication as a delinquent, incarceration, and both). Final models used step-wise logistic regression to create models for variables that predicted the outcomes. A full explanation of the data sets and the study methods can be found in the original study (Author, forthcoming). The results from the final models are used in this analysis to apply to the concepts of GST. Results: Adjudication was predicted by factors such as time in care, financial support, educational support, and training for employment. Incarceration was predicted by these factors plus number of placements, while the combined outcome was also predicted by congregate care placement. Specific aspects of strain are identified in the outcomes including resulting in harm and violating social norms. Aspects related to involvement in out of home placement almost certainly contribute to strain. Increasing numbers of placements creates strain in multiple ways: diminished social supports, re-"outing" oneself as the foster kid, decreasing self-conception. Furthermore, as the number of placements increase, the risk for congregate care placement increases. Increasingly long times in out of home placements may feel unjust, as if the youth is being punished for the actions of others. The accumulation of strain over time contributes to increased risk for youth to crossover. Results demonstrate that youth in care longer have greater risk for crossing over. Services related to financial security, educational attainment, and employment all acted as mediators to strain. Conclusions and Implications: Criminological theory seeks not just to understand why crime occurs but also ways to decrease crime. Implications related to identification and prevention are discussed.