+Transition to Adulthood from the Criminal

Justice System

Julie Osterberger, Kate Flaherty, & Elisa Major

+

Chapter 3

The Transition to Adulthood For

Adolescents in the Juvenile Justice

System: A Developmental

Perspective

+Three Main Points

What types of challenges does our youth face during the transition to adulthood?

Why do certain individuals achieve positive turning points in early adulthood while others do not?

How can the juvenile justice system provide opportunities that support youth’s achievement of healthy turning points and positive adult outcomes?

+Adolescent Offenders

U.S. juvenile justice system processes over 2.5 million juvenile arrests annually

They deal with around 5,000 delinquency cases each day

Super Predators

Rate of youth violence reached its peak in 1994 and is steadily decreasing

+Adolescent Offenders

Most juvenile offenders have a combination of problems that can attribute to poor youth development and can drive them to delinquency

Some examples include: Poor school performance Mental health problems Unstable and unsupportive family

relationships Poverty and crime-ridden communities Delinquent peer influences Absence of positive role models

+Link Between Court Involvement and Adult Outcomes for Young Offenders There are two judicial decisions that

have a significant impact on youth involvement within the justice system:

1. Whether a case is handled by the juvenile court or transferred to the adult criminal system

2. The type of sentence adolescents are required to complete

+Juvenile Offenders In Their Own Words

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doX4ljCm64Y

+Being a Successful Adult

Psychological Maturity – making the successful transition from the being a dependent adolescent to being a self-sufficient of adult

Psychological maturity requires the development in three important domains in an individual’s life:1. Mastery and competence2. Interpersonal relationships and social

functioning3. Self-definition and self-governance

+Being a Successful Adult:

Mastery and Competence

Individuals are expected to achieve levels of education and vocational training in order to learn to function as productive members of society

+Being a Successful Adult:

Interpersonal Relationships and Social Functioning

Individuals are expected to function cooperatively and collaboratively in groups

They must also have responsibilities within their community

+Being a Successful Adult:

Self-Definition and Self-Governance

Individuals must be independent and know how to set and achieve personal and meaningful goals

+Impact of Juvenile Justice Programming on Achievement Psychosocial Maturity Programs contribute to positive

outcomes for youth because they assist them in mastering certain job skills or help them find employmentAdolescents can learn the skills they

need but that does not mean they will master all skills

Social exclusion – society has a label on any delinquent youth as a criminal

+Risk Factors for Psychosocial Development

Mental disturbance among court

Substance use is the most frequent risk factor

Between 50 and 75% of incarcerated youth have mental health problems and experience other health problems

+Life Experiences That Compromise a Successful Transition Hazardous living conditions in a residential placement

62% of all delinquent males reside in over-crowded facilities

Not enough protection is provided for adolescents when placed in facilities that also house adult criminals Adolescents placed in adult facilities are:

2 times as likely to be beaten by staff One and a half times as likely to be attacked with a

weapon 5 times as likely to be sexually assaulted 8 times as likely to commit suicide

More exposure to violence was linked to higher levels of criminal offending

Sexual abuse was linked with psychiatric comorbidity

+Successful Transition

In order to increase successful transition, we need to re-examine the goals and methods of the juvenile justice system from a developmental perspective

Once this is done, we can begin to understand how to facilitate the successful transition of juvenile offenders into healthy adult roles and responsibilities

+

Chapter 5

Young Adults Reentering the

Community from the Criminal Justice

System: The Challenge of

Becoming an Adult

+Transition to Adulthood

Transition to adulthood is less predictable and more precarious or hazardous

What does this mean for late teens/early 20s in prison?

We will look at the vulnerability and resilience of young adults who return to the community from the criminal justice system

+US Criminal Justice System The more a person is drawn into the criminal

justice system, the greater the potential for a negative stigma, social exclusion, and disruption in life course

Probation – criminal sentence that allows an individual to remain in the community under the supervision of the court

Prison – physically removed from society

Parole – planned conditional release and supervision of prisoners before the expiration of their prison sentences

+Transition to Adulthood and Entry into Criminal Justice System What are some markers that we use to

classify someone as an adult?

Most young people who enter the criminal justice system lag far behind their age cohort in employment status, socioeconomic attainment, marriage formation, establishment of an independent residence, etc.

Some prisoners are able to earn a GED, but this does not fully catch them up to the age of others

+Family of Origin Disadvantages There is a socioeconomic divide between

correctional populations and general population

Link between socioeconomic attainment and a disadvantaged family status

Rates of disadvantages due to family origin: 24.2% of young inmates spent some portion of

their childhood in public housing 46.5% received public assistance 16% had been placed in foster care 33% grew up with parents who abused alcohol or

drug 31.3% had at least one parent who spent time in

prison or jail while they were growing up

+Juvenile Criminal History

Criminal history can create a restriction on work and educational opportunities can lead to further criminal involvement

70% of inmates under 35 years of age have had a previous criminal record

Three main characteristics of prison inmates 25 or younger:1. Reported having delinquent friends during

childhood2. Never married3. Regular drug use

+Substance Abuse

22% of prisoners are incarcerated specifically due to drug offenses

Majority of prisoners report to prior illegal drug use

50% of all inmates were drinking or using drugs at the time of their offense

1 in 6 report supporting drug use as the primary motivation for their most recent criminal offense

+Physical, Mental, and Learning Disabilities

Prison inmates have higher rates of serious health problems and mental illnesses

20% of prison releases have HIV or AIDS

38% tested positive for tuberculosis

Found high rates of serious health problems as a result from sustained drug and alcohol abuse

20% of all young prisoners have some sort of disability

+Adult Status Markers: Work, School, and Family Formation Prevalence of childhood disadvantages,

substance abuse, and disability among inmates makes it unsurprising to see that they lag behind their age cohort in educational and occupational attainment

75% of US males in general population have at least a high school degree

Less than 20% of inmates have at least a high school degree

Inmates are more likely to be unemployed prior to arrest and less likely to be employed full time

+Work

Adolescents who work more than 20 hours a week or more in an adult-like work setting, they can be more involved in delinquency

Hurried adolescence – associated with delinquency, substance abuse, and other risky behaviors

Imprisonment can lead to fewer job opportunities and decreased earnings

+Family

Strong family ties may reduce recidivism and aid in community reintegration of former inmates

Marriage can reduce crimes because spouses provide social control for offenders and tend to reduce associations with criminal peers

Families encourage greater life quality and commitment in interpersonal relationships rather than just having a presence

+Serving a Sentence

Current or former inmates face difficulty entering programs and receiving services that will improve their employment

Convicted felons are prohibited from receiving financial aid for higher education, public assistance programs, or public housing

Prisons provide inmates with some degree of education and work experience, but jails are less likely to provide this

Punishment vs. Rehabilitation

+Reentering the Community

Most important step to community reengagement and criminal desistance is the adoption of a noncriminal identity

If the individual views themselves as a member of society rather than as a former offender, they can impact their desire for legitimate employment and opportunities

+Civic Life and Social Stigma

Restrictions on civic life (loss of voting rights and restrictions of community involvement) reinforces social isolation

Offenders face heightened stigmatization after leaving prison Examples:

Sex offenderAttempted murder

+Offender Disadvantages and Barriers

Early life disadvantages combine to lower later educational and occupational attainment increases the likelihood of criminal involvement

Early life disadvantages and delayed transitions increase over time and result in problematic transitions to adult and increase criminal offending

+Age, Race, and Gender Disparities Younger people are reentering the community

from the criminal justice system

African American men are 6 times more likely than whites to enter prison 8% of all African American males around

ages 18-24 are in prison 10% of African American males around ages

25-29 are in prison

Stigma of a felony conviction is stronger for African-American job applicants than whites