Charged with Instability: Are Paternal Arrests and Criminal Charges Enough to Shake the Marital Stability of American Couples?

Abstract

With the growing rate of divorce, increasing efforts are being made to identify the factors that contribute to relationship dissolution for many American couples. One commonly noted, and particularly concerning, factor toward relationship instability is the incarceration of husbands and fathers. Although paternal incarceration and familial stability have been studied, little is known about the relationship between criminal charges and divorce. The current study utilized data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to understand the effect of paternal criminal charges on divorce for 725 families. Utilizing a logistic regression and two-stage least squares linear probability model, results show that, even without incarceration, being charged with a crime as a husband significantly increases the likelihood that a couple will get divorced. These findings have significant implications for understanding how encounters with the criminal justice system affect familial well-being and stability.