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School of Criminology
Ashley Kyne successfully defends her MA thesis
Congratulations to Ashley Kyne for successfully defending her MA thesis titled 鈥淭he Role of Informal Social Control in Offending Among Indigenous and White Populations.鈥�
Abstract
Although Indigenous persons are disproportionately represented in the criminal legal systems of Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, empirical research on the applicability of criminological theories of offending to Indigenous populations remains limited. This study draws on the age-graded theory of informal social control to explore whether sources of social support influence official involvement in the criminal legal system. Using data from the Incarcerated Serious and Violent Young Offender Study in British Columbia, Canada, zero-inflated Poisson regression analyses were conducted to examine the role of informal social control, measured in early adulthood (ages 18-23), in predicting later offending. Offending was assessed after measuring informal social control, based on convictions that occurred during adulthood follow-up periods. The sample included Indigenous (n = 311) and White (n = 692) persons who were originally incarcerated as youth (ages 12-17). Results indicate that several informal social control domains鈥攑articularly living arrangements, academic and vocational skills, employment, and family relationships鈥攚ere associated with reductions in adult convictions. Interaction analyses revealed that strong academic and vocational skills, along with stable living arrangements, were particularly protective for Indigenous participants. Other domains more closely aligned with Western norms, such as companions/significant others and employment, did not yield the same protective effects across groups. These findings suggest that while some sources of informal social control are broadly protective, others may function differently depending on cultural and structural contexts, highlighting the need for culturally responsive and equity-informed assessment tools.
Well done, Ashley! We can't wait to see where your talents take you next!