Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Amplification Of Deviance Following Police Contact: An Examination Of Individual And Neighborhood Factors Among A Sample Of Youth, Stephanie Ann Wiley

Dissertations

Research indicates that police contact has many negative ramifications. Individuals who are stopped or arrested have fewer educational and employment opportunities, more deviant identities and attitudes, increased involvement with delinquent peers, and higher levels of delinquency. Less is known about whether these adverse consequences are universal or if they are more prevalent among some segments of the population. In this dissertation I draw on labeling theory to explore the effects of police contact for a sample of juveniles. According to labeling theory and its extensions, official labels such as those associated with police contact should lead to delinquency through three …