Legal socialization is the study of how individuals develop their perceptions of legal authorities and laws. Studies demonstrate that adolescents with negative perceptions of legal authorities tend to violate the law, yet the literature has not adequately addressed how adolescents develop their perceptions, why their perceptions affect behavior, and, despite being a critical component of legal socialization, how individuals develop their perceptions of law. This dissertation applied a developmental approach to filling these gaps in the literature. The first study demonstrated that the development of perceptions of the justice system through adolescence varies based on both race and experience. Specifically, Black youth report the most negative perceptions, followed by Latino, and then White youth, and racial differences increase as youth age. Further, attitudes become worse over time for youth who remain in the system. The second study showed that youth differentiate between legal authorities, such as law enforcement and the justice system, and socio-cultural authorities, such as schools and religious institutions. Further, across races/ethnicities youths’ perceptions of law enforcement have declined markedly in recent years. The third study demonstrated that the effect of perceptions on delinquency varies based on developmental level. Finally, the fourth study revealed that the obligation to obey the law declines through adolescence and how youth perceive law is strongly associated with how their parents view law.

Although attitudes towards the justice system are directly related to crime commission, few studies have examined how these attitudes develop from adolescence through early adulthood. Further, despite knowledge that minority youth experience disproportionate contact with the justice system, it is unknown how legal socialization differs by racial group. This study investigates how attitudes towards the justice system develop as youth transition into adulthood, examines how personal experiences with the justice system affect legal socialization, and determines whether developmental processes differ for Black, White, and Latino youth. Data were obtained from a 7-year longitudinal study of male offenders (N = 1,114). Individual growth curve models were used to examine attitude formation from adolescence into adulthood. Time-varying effects models were used to examine how experiences with the justice system affect legal socialization. Findings indicate that Black youth hold the most negative views of the system during adolescence, followed by Latino youth, and White youth. These racial differences become more pronounced as youth transition into adulthood. Further, although legitimacy and legal cynicism follow similar developmental trajectories, personal contacts with the justice system only affect legitimacy. Legal socialization from adolescence into young adulthood varies by race. The mechanisms that affect Black youth’s attitudes do not affect Latino youths’ attitudes, indicating that aggregating racial groups may mask meaningful differences. Despite engaging in the same amount of offending as White and Latino youth, Black youth are disproportionately contacted by the system. These disproportionate justice system contacts erode their perceptions of its legitimacy.