Adolescent Contact, Lasting Impact? Lessons Learned From Two Longitudinal Studies Spanning 20 Years of Developmental Science Research With Justice-System-Involved Youths
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Published:2023-12
Issue:3
Volume:24
Page:133-161
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ISSN:1529-1006
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Container-title:Psychological Science in the Public Interest
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language:en
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Short-container-title:Psychol Sci Public Interest
Author:
Cauffman Elizabeth1,
Gillespie Marie L.1,
Beardslee Jordan1,
Davis Frank2,
Hernandez Maria3,
Williams Tamika4
Affiliation:
1. Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine
2. Alternate Public Defender’s Office, Orange County, California
3. Superior Court of California, Orange County
4. District Attorney’s Office, Orange County, California
Abstract
In this article, we summarize key findings from 20 years of research conducted at the intersection of developmental psychology and juvenile justice in the United States. We predominantly examine data from two large-scale, multisite longitudinal studies involving justice-system-involved adolescents—the Pathways to Desistance study and the Crossroads study. Topics of discussion include predictors of offending and desistance from crime; youth outcomes and psychosocial needs; and emerging research, programs, and policy initiatives. First, individual-level (e.g., age, psychosocial maturity) and contextual-level (e.g., antisocial peers, exposure to violence) risk factors associated with offending are explored. Second, we discuss short-term and long-term outcomes of justice-system contact for youths engaging in moderate offenses. We highlight main findings from the Crossroads study indicating that youths who are sanctioned by the justice system at their first arrest have worse outcomes than youths who are diverted from formal processing. Additionally, we discuss the high prevalence of youths’ exposure to violence and mental health disorders as well as the differential treatment of youths of color in the justice system. Third, we extend the conversation to justice-system-involved young adults and discuss emerging, innovative legal solutions, including young adult courts. Last, we discuss real-world implications of these findings.
Funder
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
National Institute of Justice
Fudge Family Foundation
County of Orange
William T. Grant Foundation
Arizona Governor’s Justice Commission
centers for disease control and prevention
William Penn Foundation
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Subject
General Psychology
Reference179 articles.
1. An Act to Amend Section 625.6 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, Relating to Juveniles, Cal. S. Bill § 203 (2021). https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB203
2. The Effect of Criminal Records on Access to Employment
3. American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.).
4. American Psychological Association. (2022, August 4). APA calls for extending ineligibility for the death penalty to adolescent offenders younger than age 21 [Press release]. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2022/08/limiting-death-penalty
5. Race, Ethnicity, and Structural Variations in Youth Risk of Arrest