The influence of social surroundings on juvenile and criminal justice involvement of 17-year-olds transitioning from foster care to adulthood: A longitudinal and life-course approach

This proposal seeks to study the contextual and structural factors that influence criminal outcomes among foster children transitioning into adulthood. The applicant proposes two papers to meet their dissertation requirements. The first paper will examine the impact of California’s new extended foster case policy on youth outcomes using 2006-2016 California administrative data on 16 and 17 year olds (n = 135,000) in foster care. Paper 2 will build on this concept by studying the role of childhood social bonds in mitigating criminal behavior. It will identify distinct subgroups and trajectories for foster care youth based on these social bonds. This paper will use existing longitudinal survey data of California foster youth (n = 616).CA/NCF "Note: This project contains a research and/or development component, as defined in applicable law," and complies with Part 200 Uniform Requirements - 2 CFR 200.210(a)(14).