Differential Associations Between Legal System Contact and Internalizing Symptoms Among Latino, Black, and White Youth.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE Youth who enter the legal system exhibit higher rates of mental illness than their peers. It remains unclear whether continued legal system contact exacerbates these issues, especially among Latino and Black youth who are disproportionately involved. This study examined the associations between various forms of legal system contact, anxiety, and depression among Latino, Black, and White justice-involved youth over three years following their first arrest. We hypothesized that system contact would predict increases in anxiety and depression symptoms across all youth, with a stronger effect among Latino and Black youth. METHOD Data were used from 1,160 male youth (48.24% Latino, 36.77% Black, 14.99% White; Mage = 15.27) in the Crossroads Study. Youth were recruited post-first arrest and interviewed biannually for three years. Between-within models were estimated separately for each racial/ethnic group to assess whether continued system contact (police stop, re-arrest, probation, detention) was linked to higher anxiety and depression levels (between-person) and whether contact predicted individual-level increases in these symptoms (within-person). RESULTS At the between-person level, Black youth stopped by police exhibited higher depression levels than those not stopped. Latino youth placed in detention exhibited higher anxiety levels than those not detained. At the within-person level, among Latino youth, probation was linked to increased anxiety and re-arrest to increased depression. Among Black youth, detention was linked to increased anxiety. System contact was not associated with internalizing symptoms among White youth. CONCLUSION Legal system contact is associated with adverse mental health outcomes, particularly for Latino and Black youth.