TY - JOUR
T1 - Dual Debtors
T2 - Child Support and Criminal Legal Financial Obligations
AU - Horowitz, Veronica L.
AU - Spencer-Suarez, Kimberly
AU - Larson, Ryan
AU - Stewart, Robert
AU - Edwards, Frank
AU - Obara, Emmi
AU - Uggen, Christopher
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.
PY - 2022/6
Y1 - 2022/6
N2 - Child support arrears and criminal monetary sanctions are two forms of state-imposed debt that have gained increasing attention for their role in perpetuating inequality. Although past research recognizes that both groups of debtors tend to be socioeconomically disadvantaged and are disproportionately members of marginalized racial groups, the overlap between these populations has not been examined. Our study uses administrative data to link individuals from both groups, providing the first description and comparison of three populations of debtors— those with only criminal legal debt, those with only child support debt, and those with both types of debt—highlighting disparities and the compounding nature of both types of debt. We then draw on 30 in-depth semistructured interviews with individuals subject to state surveillance from both forms of debt, emphasizing three key themes that emerged: debt as carceral vulnerability, the relative salience of each type of debt, and perceptions of fairness.
AB - Child support arrears and criminal monetary sanctions are two forms of state-imposed debt that have gained increasing attention for their role in perpetuating inequality. Although past research recognizes that both groups of debtors tend to be socioeconomically disadvantaged and are disproportionately members of marginalized racial groups, the overlap between these populations has not been examined. Our study uses administrative data to link individuals from both groups, providing the first description and comparison of three populations of debtors— those with only criminal legal debt, those with only child support debt, and those with both types of debt—highlighting disparities and the compounding nature of both types of debt. We then draw on 30 in-depth semistructured interviews with individuals subject to state surveillance from both forms of debt, emphasizing three key themes that emerged: debt as carceral vulnerability, the relative salience of each type of debt, and perceptions of fairness.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85133257684&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85133257684&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1086/720016
DO - 10.1086/720016
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85133257684
SN - 0037-7961
VL - 96
SP - 226
EP - 267
JO - Social Service Review
JF - Social Service Review
IS - 2
ER -