Degrees:
- M.S.W. Social Policy and Administration: Florida State University
- M.P.A.: Florida State University
- B.A. Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies: University of Richmond
- B.A. Geography: University of Richmond
Research Interests:
- Juvenile Delinquency
- Early Antisocial Behavior
- Schools and Delinquency
- Family Influences on Offending
- Crime Prevention and Public Policy
Dissertation Abstract:
Exclusionary discipline across the life-course: An age-graded examination of the school-to-prison pipeline
The purpose of this dissertation is to apply the life-course perspective to understanding the school-to-prison pipeline by conducting three separate analyses pertaining to out-of-school suspension occurring at different stages in the life-course. The first analysis will use data from the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health to determine to what extent adverse experiences in early childhood are associated with experiences of exclusionary discipline in early learning settings, and to what extent this association is mediated by behavioral problems in early childhood. The second analysis will use data from the Longitudinal Studies on Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) to identify trajectories of school suspension between ages eight and 16, determine to what extent adverse experiences in early childhood are associated with trajectory group membership, and examine whether and to what extent trajectory group membership is associated with justice system involvement by age 18. The final paper will use the LONGSCAN data and propensity score methods to examine whether the association between out-of-school suspension and justice system contact, age at first arrest, and justice system involvement differs by age at first suspension, comparing the effects of suspension first experienced at or before age 12, suspension first experienced between the ages of 13 and 14, and suspension first experienced between the ages of 15 and 16. The findings from this dissertation will have important implications for policy pertaining to the use exclusionary discipline and for the application of life-course theories to the school-to-prison pipeline.