Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3742-2655

Date of Award

Fall 12-18-2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Criminal Justice

First Advisor

Dr. William Sabol

Second Advisor

Dr. Elizabeth Beck

Third Advisor

Dr. Thaddeus Johnson

Abstract

Most prior examinations on the influence of incarceration on labor market outcomes find that the criminal justice system excludes people from employment. This study examines the nexus of the criminal justice and child support systems’ influence on labor market outcomes while examining a contrast of traditional labor market exclusion: the threat of incarceration for child support nonpayment, which may push fathers with child support debt to accept low-wage work. Using data from The Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this study utilizes variation between cities to examine how child support policies affect noncustodial parents in terms of their employment and wages in a replication of the work of Zatz and Stoll (2020). This study provides support for the theory that punitive child support enforcement policies negatively impact the wages of noncustodial fathers with arrears who are most vulnerable to the threat of punishment for nonwork but does not find significant relationships between child support enforcement and employment.

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