ABSTRACT

A major problem inflicting many American neighborhoods is concentrated disadvantage, an indicator of relative poverty that encompasses various disadvantages that impact a community and its inhabitants. Social control of youth who become intertwined with the justice system is a manner in which negative stereotypes of those from disadvantaged neighborhoods can be discriminated against. Decision-makers acknowledge this and are inclined to use greater social control to ensure youth are removed from the “dangerous” environment. Minority youth in areas with greater racial/ethnic and economic inequality as well as underclass poverty are more likely to experience harsher sentencing as compared to similarly situated White youth. Attribution theory is increasingly being used to frame research concerning the impact of structural factors as well as legal and extralegal characteristics on juvenile court outcomes.