Critically analyzing the causes and effects of youth incarceration in California is a necessary precursor to creating and implementing lasting solutions. This research project seeks to shift the questions that should be asked about the hows and whys of juvenile incarceration - moving away from focusing on the developmental issues young people who end up in the juvenile justice system and toward the structural and cultural circumstances that influences incarceration. This includes analyzing the role of schools, police, and other systems that interact with young people.
This is a collaborative interview project in which participants 17-66 were interviewed about their experiences before, during, and after incarceration. In the first interview participants told their story. Follow up interview question were/are collaboratively formulated by participants and the interviewer. There are 23 participants in this study with 1-3 interviews each.
The 2-3 undergraduate students selected for this project will work most directly with the graduate student investigator Gabby Falzone, a PhD candidate in the Graduate School of Education, who conducted the interviews. They will also have a chance to connect once/month with Prof. Glynda Hull, the faculty member overseeing this URAP project, to discuss their progress, get feedback on qualitative research methods, and ask questioned about graduate school in the School of Education.
•	Work as a team with the graduate student investigator to code interviews, looking for themes that illuminate the factors that lead to incarceration, as well as re-incarceration and/or desistance.