Young Adults in the Justice System:
Reducing Recidivism and Supporting the Successful Transition to Adulthood A Cross-System Stakeholder Convening
Background:
Young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 face persistent inequalities that prevent them from reaching their full potential on the pathway to adulthood. Nowhere are these inequalities more pronounced for young adults than in the justice system. While young adults only make up around 10 percent of the U.S. population, they account for nearly 30 percent of people arrested for both serious and non-serious crimes. Young adults of color are overrepresented in the justice system, and data show that 18-to-24 year-olds have higher recidivism rates than other age groups.
New brain development research has found that substantial growth and change take place during young adulthood, which can impact the effectiveness of strategies designed to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes. Young adults’ impulsivity, tendency to engage in risky behaviors, and poor decision-making skills, put them at greater risk for poor outcomes. This research has spurred a wave of reforms to better support young adults in the justice system. However, whereas considerable research exists demonstrating what strategies make it less likely an adolescent or adult will reoffend, research is sparse and spread across multiple disciplines. Nor is it clear what research-based strategies work to improve education and employment outcomes for this age group. As states work to ensure that limited resources are used efficiently to protect public safety, they need more informed guidance on what research is available about what works to improve outcomes for young adults and how to translate this research into practice.
Convening Overview
Building off the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center’s issue brief, Reducing Recidivism and Improving Other Outcomes for Young Adults in the Juvenile and Adult Criminal Justice Systems, and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s paper Community-Based Responses to Justice-Involved Young Adults, these organizations will host a first-of-its-kind convening of inter-disciplinary, cross-system stakeholders focused on reducing inequalities and improving outcomes for young adults in the justice system. The convening represents an unprecedented effort to bring researchers and practitioners from multiple systems together to inform the next wave of reforms on young adults.
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