The quantitative study offers a description African American adolescents in a national sample compare on strands of Hirschi's conventional bonds in terms of deviance and justice system involvement. Using a sample of 1,141adolescents from the National Survey of American Life Adolescent Data, these groups were compared with tests of significance. The results indicate that belief and attachment are the most significant predictors of justice system contact. While Caribbean youth reported more deviance, that was not predictive of more justice system involvement than African Americans. Explanation for these findings and practice implications are offered.
