Award Date

5-15-2026

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Criminal Justice

First Committee Member

Alexandra Nur

Second Committee Member

Amber Krushas

Third Committee Member

Terance Miethe

Fourth Committee Member

Kenyon Whitman

Number of Pages

223

Abstract

Dually-involved youth (DIY) are a uniquely disadvantaged population, simultaneously involved with both the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Information regarding the system experiences of DIY and how they compare to their single-system, juvenile justice-only involved (SSY) counterparts is sparse, particularly through a criminal justice lens. Additionally, no research on the within-individual differences between DIY pre- and post-DIY identification is currently available. The present study seeks to bridge current gaps in the literature by (a) establishing a baseline comparison of DIY and SSY in Clark County, Nevada, (b) assessing depth of system penetration differences via case processing outcomes, and (c) examining whether DIY and SSY are located in geographically different parts of the county. Using administrative data, a series of propensity weighted and random effects logistic regressions, as well as a multilevel model with an interaction term, are estimated to identify any between-group and within-individual differences. Findings suggest that, overall, the DIY population in Clark County (a) is demographically different from the SSY population, (b) may be advantaged in certain case processing outcomes, and (c) may experience a differential likelihood of referrals depending on the interaction between their past referral caseload and geographic location rather than the influence of their label as DIY. Policy recommendations and suggestions for future research are provided.

Keywords

dually-involved youth; juvenile delinquency; juvenile justice

Disciplines

Criminology | Criminology and Criminal Justice | Legal Studies

File Format

PDF

File Size

1833 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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