The Annie E. Casey Foundation is funding projects in three states to develop a criminal justice framework for “emerging adults,” those between the ages of 18 and 25.
This group of young people is highly overrepresented in the criminal justice system and has the highest recidivism rates with starker racial disparities, data shows. At the same time, this segment of those involved in the justice system is more likely to have experienced violent crime or other trauma.
The idea behind a distinct legal system for these young adults is to afford them some of the rehabilitative and supportive resources that exist in the juvenile justice system but not the adult criminal justice system — in recognition both of their immature developmental stage and the trauma contributing to their choices.
“The age of 18 is not a fixed point when adolescents become fully mature adults,” wrote Harvard social policy researchers Selen Siringil Perker and Lael Chester in a 2017 report on emerging adult justice. “Exposure to toxic environments such as adult jails and prisons further traumatizes justice involved emerging adults, making them more vulnerable to negative influence, and as a result, increases recidivism among this group.”
“Tailoring the justice system’s response to emerging adults’ developmental needs can reverse this cycle of crime and improve public safety,“ the researchers suggest.
The grants are part of the foundation’s “Thrive by 25” initiative, which focuses on young adults impacted by poverty, the justice system and foster care, to which it’s dedicating at least half of its philanthropic investments during the coming decade.
Awards of $50,000 each are going to programs in three states that represent different facets of the justice system. In Massachusetts, the state’s public defender agency, the Committee for Public Counsel Services, will focus on legal services for emerging adults. The juvenile and adult departments within the agency will collaborate on strategies that prioritize young adults’ social and psychological well-being.
In Nebraska, the Administrative Office of the Courts and Probation will focus on probation and reentry practices. Probation officers will be specially trained to serve this population, focusing on individualized and strengths-based case planning.
In Washington, D.C. the Justice Policy Institute and partners within the D.C. Emerging Adult Justice Collaborative will work to “provide more developmentally appropriate responses” for young adults convicted of crimes, including support with housing and other basic needs, and specialized courts and detention facilities.
Annie E. Casey’s investment is part of a shifting perspective on how to respond to older teens and young adults who come into contact with the justice system. As The Imprint has reported, a number of states have raised the age limit for juvenile justice, allowing older teens to stay in the more rehabilitative system rather than going through adult courts and detention centers. Some states, including New York, Michigan and Florida, have passed laws allowing young adults to seal their criminal records and in some cases have them expunged. In 2018, Washington, D.C.’s local government passed a law redefining “youth offender” to include youth through age 24.
According to the Emerging Adults Justice Project, recent reforms have also led to the development of specialized units for emerging adults in correctional facilities that are designed to be more therapeutic than punitive and offer greater access to educational opportunities and mental health treatment.