THE IMPACT OF AN ARREST ON THE JOB STABILITY OF YOUNG WHITE AMERICAN MEN

Traditionally, criminologists have sought to understand how unemployme nt can lead to crime. Recently however a group of criminologists have begun to consider ways in which crime itself might lead to employment problems. One idea, advanced by Hagan, is that youths involved in crim e do not develop the necessary social and human capital necessary to s ucceed in the legal labor market. A second idea, advanced by Sampson a nd Laub, is that the formal sanctions of the criminal justice system l ead employers to avoid individuals who might otherwise succeed in the labor market. This article tests the competing implications of these t wo theories by using the method of ''differences in differences'' on t he National Youth Survey. The evidence from this article suggests that arrest can lead to minor problems in the labor market above and beyon d the impact of current or past criminal activity.