Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Criminal Justice

Advisor

Gregory Koehle

Abstract

The primary research problem that prompted this study was to identify if involvement in interscholastic sports could be an option to alleviate financial burdens of delinquency and provoke a level of rehabilitation for youth. To provide context on this aforementioned financial burden, between 2018 and 2019, 5.56% or 696,620 youth in the United States aged 10-17 were arrested, (Puzzanchera, 2021). The cost of these arrests can be up to $407.58 per day per youth, and taxpayer dollars supplement this price tag. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the extent to which a relationship exists between juvenile involvement in interscholastic sports and juvenile delinquency while also looking at the number of sports seasons played. The theoretical foundation of this research was Hirschi’s social control theory. The key research question was, to what extent does involvement in interscholastic sports and seasons played have an influence on involvement in delinquency? In this quantitative study, respondents between ages 18 and 22 were asked to respond to questions retrospectively, thinking about their high school experience. The sample population met inclusion criteria of age and participation in high school interscholastic sports. The data responses were collected through an online survey and were analyzed using SPSS software to conduct a binary logistic regression analysis. Results showed no statistically significant relationship between playing high school sports, the number of seasons played, and juvenile delinquent behavior. The findings of this study have potential implications for positive social change by educating families and various other stakeholders about delinquent behavior and the possibility of needing more interventions than sports participation to reduce its occurrence.

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