Undergraduate Research Spotlight: Sara Sundaram

August 1, 2024

Sara Sundaram is a senior at Michigan State University studying Criminal Justice and Psychology. 

Sara Sundaram is working on a research project that will help juvenile justice practitioners better understand the relationship between substance use and committing delinquent offenses among juveniles in Michigan. 

Sundaram partnered Dr. Cait Cavanagh (Associate Professor in the School of Criminal Justice) and a local juvenile court. Through this partnership, Sundaram analyzed data from over 4,000 juveniles between the ages of 14 and 17.  

The study notes that a primary component of teens using illegal substances and engaging in other criminal behavior is a developmental propensity for risk taking. 

Sundaram says “the risky behavior adolescents engage in can be attributed to how their brains develop: during adolescence, neural changes mean that rewarding experiences are particularly salient and pleasurable. Therefore, when youth assess the risk and consequences of a particular activity, the thrill of taking the risk may outweigh the consequences, leading youth to commit delinquent acts. However, as people age into their mid-twenties and their brains continue to develop, they assess risk-taking behavior differently and are less likely to engage in risky behaviors.” 

This research comes at a critical time. The study found that juveniles in Michigan are a shocking seven times more likely to have used substances in the past month than the average American teen. Substance use is a nationwide epidemic that may continue to grow if early intervention is not sought for young substance users.  

The research team categorized crimes committed by weapons, status, sex, public ordinance, property, person, drug offenses, and other miscellaneous offenses. Sundaram found that both males and females committed primarily property and person crimes. However, males committed higher amounts of crime in each category compared to females, with person and property crime taking the lead. Surprisingly, females in the study committed more person crimes than property crimes, which goes against findings in other samples.  

When it came to substance use, Sundaram’s research found that juvenile court involved males were more likely to use substances than females, which follows the general trend that males tend to engage in more risky and delinquent behavior than females. Sundaram also found a correlation between drug use and the severity and frequency of crimes committed by the youth in the study. 

Sundaram says it is important to recognize factors – such as substance use – that contribute to juveniles becoming entrapped in life-course persistent criminal activity. Given that youth are amenable to rehabilitation, the key to curbing substance use and life course persistence criminal activity should be sought through early intervention. This can be pursued through a number of ways which include, increasing the number of juvenile drug courts and alternative rehabilitation programs that are available in Michigan. Specifically, Sundaram points to a program called STAND (Supervised Treatment of Alcohol and Narcotic Dependency). This program focuses on education, family relationships, wellness, and health; all of which could be effective in curbing juvenile delinquency.