Incarceration and unwed fathers in Fragile Families

Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, Sept, 2007 by Charles E. Lewis, Jr., Irwin Garfinkel, Qin Gao

Appendix Table: State Number of Prison and Jail Inmates
per 1,000 Population by Race at Midyear 2001

     City            State       White    Black    Latino    All

Oakland          California       4.70    27.57     8.27     6.97

San Jose         California       4.70    27.57     8.27     6.97

Jacksonville     Florida          5.36    25.91     2.35     7.72

Chicago          Illinois         2.51    18.89     3.81     5.12

Indianapolis     Indiana          3.91    22.36     4.54     5.45

Baltimore        Maryland         2.48    16.86     5.89     6.57

Boston           Massachusetts    2.06    15.62    13.09     3.59

Detroit          Michigan         3.69    22.47     5.68     6.44

Newark           New Jersey       1.61    21.17     6.93     5.03

New York         New York         1.73    16.38    10.21     5.46

Toledo           Ohio             3.24    22.79     5.60     5.58

Philadelphia     Pennsylvania     2.44    25.70    16.80     5.33

Pittsburgh       Pennsylvania     2.44    25.70    16.80     5.33

Nashville        Tennessee        3.92    19.91     3.63     6.47

Austin           Texas            6.40    32.87     8.00     9.66

Corpus Christi   Texas            6.40    32.87     8.00     9.66

San Antonio      Texas            6.40    32.87     8.00     9.66

Norfolk          Virginia         3.61    22.68     2.42     7.20

Richmond         Virginia         3.61    22.68     2.42     7.20

Milwaukee        Wisconsin        3.50    40.58     9.74     6.05

Table 1: Descriptive Statistics among Unmarried Fathers *

                                   Father Sample (N=2,406)

                                          Ever             Never
                     All Fathers      Incarcerated      Incarcerated
                   Mean     S.D.     Mean     S.D.     Mean     S.D.
Regular Sector
Worked last
week? (mother      0.73     0.44     0.58     0.49     0.83     0.38
report)
Worked last        0.73     0.44     0.60     0.49     0.81     0.39
week?
Annual            21,315   57,270   15,939   18,353   24,525   70,791
Earnings
Weeks worked      37.85    19.48    31.59    21.34    41.66    17.19
past 12 months
Hours worked      43.78    19.40    40.87    21.76    45.56    17.59
per week
Hourly wage       12.83    37.15    12.18    38.12    13.19    36.63
rate
Underground Work
Participated?      0.35     0.48     0.43     0.49     0.31     0.46
Underground Earnings
Annual            2,546    13,013   3,277    14,922   2,173    11,695
Earnings
Control Variables
Age                27.8     7.1      27.8     7.0      27.8     7.1
Non-Hispanic       .13      .34      .14      .34      .13      .33
White
Non-Hispanic       .56      .50      .62      .49      .53      .50
Black
Hispanic           .28      .45      .22      .42      .31      .46
Other Race         .03      .17      .02      .15      .03      .17
< High School      .39      .49      .45      .50      .35      .48
High School        .36      .48      .37      .48      .36      .48
Graduate
Some College       .21      .41      .16      .37      .24      .43
College            .04      .18      .01      .11      .05      .22
Graduate
Had Drug/
Alcohol            .17      .37      .22      .42      .17      .37
Problem
Depressed 2        .16      .37      .20      .40     14.00     .35
Weeks
Poor Health        .17      .38      .21      .41      .15      .35
Not Involved       .33      .47      .38      .48      .30      .46
with Father
                       Mother
                       Sample
                     (N=3,293)

                   Mean     S.D.
Regular Sector
Worked last
week? (mother      0.72     0.45
report)
Worked last         X        X
week?
Annual              X        X
Earnin s
Weeks worked        X        X
past 12 months
Hours worked        X        X
per week
Hourly wage         X        X
rate
Underground Work
Participated?       X        X
Underground Earnings
Annual              X        X
Earnings
Control Variables
Age                27.8     7.2
Non-Hispanic       .12      .32
White
Non-Hispanic       .58      .49
Black
Hispanic           .28      .45
Other Race         .03      .16
< High School      .39      .49
High School        .38      .48
Graduate
Some College       .20      .40
College            .03      .18
Graduate
Had Drug/
Alcohol             X        X
Problem
Depressed 2         X        X
Weeks
Poor Health         X        X
Not Involved        X        X
with Father

* All dependent variables are based on father reports unless
otherwise noted.

Table 2: Odds Ratios of the Effects of Incarceration on Fathers'
Employment Last Week (a)

                        Model 1          Model 2          Model 3
                      Full Sample     Father Sample    Father Sample

Ever incarcerated   ** 0.34 (10.85)   ** 0.53 (5.91)   ** 0.57 (4.98)
Incarceration
unknown              ( )0.49 (1.87)         --              --
Never incarce-                          (omitted)
rated
Age                  ** 1.02(2.71)     1.00 (0.47)      1.01 (0.72)
Non-Hispanic        ** 0.33 (5.68)    ** 0.40 (4.60)   ** 0.41 (4.20)
black
Hispanic              .69 (l.64)        1.11 (.46)       1.13 (.51)
Other race           ** .30 (3.51)    ** .34 (3.14)    ** .35 (2.98)
Non-Hispanic                            (omitted)
white
High school gra-    ** 1.67 (4.64)    ** 1.68 (4.31)   ** 1.49 (3.18)
duate
Some college        ** 2.21 (5.53)    ** 2.58 (6.07)   ** 2.05 (4.45)
College graduate     * 2.23 (2.40)    ** 4.30 (3.68)   ** 3.39 (3.05)
Less than high                          (omitted)
school
Had Drug/Alcohol                                         0.78(l.71)
Problem
Depressed 2 Weeks                                      ** 0.61 (3.49)
Poor Health                                            ** 0.41 (6.61)
Not Involved with                                        0.95 (.45)
Father
Constant
Observations             2573              2261             2212

Absolute value of t statistic in parentheses;
* p [less than or equal to].05, ** p [less than or equal to] .01

(a) Fathers who were in jail at the time of interview are excluded.
City of residence is controlled for but results are not reported;
"--" indicates that observations are dropped due to very few
cases in cell (n=2).

Table 3: OLS and Logistic Regression Results for Regular Earnings,
Weeks Worked, Hours Worked, Hourly Wage Rate and Off-book
Employment and Earnings (1)

                       Model 1          Model 2         IV Results

Regular Sector
Employment
Log of annual      ** -0.40 (.12)     * -0.28 (12)    * -2.73 (2.02)
earnings
Weeks worked       *** -4.53 (.85)   *** -3.60 (84)   * -26.02 (2.37)
Hours worked         -1.04 (.86)      -0.56 (.87)      -12.96 (1.25)
per week
Log of Hourly       * -.06 (2.08)      -.04(l.26)     ** -1.13 (2.75)
Wage Rate
Underground
Employment
Participated      *** 1.53 (4.26)   ** 1.43 (3.46)     -0.54 (.76)
([dagger])
Log of under-      ** 0.78 (4.58)    ** 0.66 (3.81)    -3.74 (1.67)
ground earnings

* p [less than or equal to] .05, ** p [less than or equal to] .01,
*** p [less than or equal to] .001

Note: OLS coefficients and standard errors in parentheses for
OLS regression models when dependent variables are continuous.

([dagger]) Odds ratios and t statistic in parentheses for logistic
regression on participation in underground employment.

(1) City of residence is controlled for but results are not
reported. For dependent variables log annual earnings, annual
weeks worked, and annual off-book earnings, fathers who were
in jail at the time of interview and those in jail partial year
during last  12 months are excluded. Model 1 controls for age,
race/ethnicity, education, and city of interview--controls used
largely in previous studies; Model 2 adds controls for drug
problems, depression, poor health, and whether the father's was
involved with his  biological--controls not generally included
in previous studies.