NCJ Number
211168
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 22 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2005 Pages: 281-303
Date Published
September 2005
Length
23 pages
Annotation
Utilizing a life course framework, this study examined the effect of incarceration on the likelihood of becoming married and attaining full-time employment.
Abstract
Research indicates that employment and marriage are central to understanding changes in offending over the life course. This study extends previous research and explored the effect of incarceration on marriage and employment. In this study, marriage served as the dependent measure, the model included a number of control variables, and the sample selected for analyses was broader than what had been used in past research. The study used a sub-sample of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY), consisting of a cohort of American youth between the ages of 14 and 22 in 1979. Results confirm that incarceration is an important turning point in the adult life course. Incarceration reduced the odds of marrying and attaining full-time employment by at least one-third. Also, significant relationships were observed between prior incarceration, marriage, and employment highlighting the long-term deficits that incarceration can provoke. The findings suggest that dynamic changes in life circumstances in adulthood can outweigh individual differences and adolescent bonds and experiences. Tables and references