Date of Award

Summer 2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Sociology & Criminal Justice

Program/Concentration

Applied Sociology

Committee Director

Allison Chappell

Committee Member

Randy Gainey

Committee Member

Scott Maggard

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.S62 F355 2015

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to assess whether social bonds (i.e., attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief) are associated with a decrease in delinquent and law violating behavior among at-risk youth in various geographical locations. According to Travis Hirschi's (1969) social bonding theory, delinquent acts occur when an individual's bond to society is weak or broken. Hirschi stated that humans by nature are deviant, and that the value individuals place on their relationships prevent them from engaging in such behavior. Using data from the 2000 ICPSR Evaluation of the Children at Risk Program in Austin, Texas; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Memphis, Tennessee; Savanah, Georgia; and Seattle, Washington (1993-1997), the four research questions addressed in this study are: Which social bonds in early adolescence are associated with a decrease in the use of marijuana or hash in later adolescence?, which social bonds in early adolescence are associated with a decrease in alcohol consumption in later adolescence?, which social bonds in early adolescence are associated with a decrease in dealing drugs in later adolescence?, and which social bonds in early adolescence are associated with a decrease in arrest in later adolescence? Overall, the results from the bivariate and multivariate analysis showed moderate support for social bonding theory.

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DOI

10.25777/etr5-x035

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