Youth Returning: Great Need, Greater Potential

By Kelly Gregory, Luis Guzman + Laura Urquiaga

We spent the past three months learning about the criminal justice system. Because of very high rates of recidivism among individuals aged 18 to 25 (67.7% across California; and almost 74% among 18- to 19-year-olds alone[1]), we have decided to focus our research on young adults.

We know that the pre-frontal cortex of the brain continues to develop until an individual reaches his/her mid-twenties. This area of the brain governs decision-making, impulse control, and emotion regulation. Although research shows that people aged 18 to 25 are physiologically more similar to juveniles than adults, the criminal justice system under which they are tried and sentenced is designed for adults. Our current structure does not account for the specific developmental needs of this age group.

“It’s not only that we need to be mindful that young people transitioning to adulthood make mistakes like adolescents do, they also possess enormous capacity for change like adolescents do,” said Molly Baldwin, founder and CEO of Roca. “A system that squanders this potential and creates more hardened criminals is enormously wasteful.”

With this concept in mind, we interviewed 35 experts in subjects ranging from psychology to law. We conducted 12 participatory workshops with probation officers and young adults. We spoke to 22 young adults currently in jail or on probation.

As we begin our concept ideation phase, we are encouraged that there is clear momentum around this issue. Connecticut recently announced plans to create the first prison exclusively for 18- to 25-year-olds that will address their special developmental needs. In San Francisco, the Young Adult Court was established last summer to serve this same subset. Nationally, people and institutions are paying attention.

We are exploring ways to identify the inherent strengths and passions of young adults on probation and connect them to career paths or life goals. We’re also looking at how we might create a service that makes resources accessible and engaging. It’s not just about allowing young people to access basic services, but also providing classes and workshops that explore positive paths that truly resonate with them.

We’re excited by the responsibility and opportunity to be a part of a solution. From probation officers to public defenders, case managers to non-profit program managers, family members to the young adults themselves, we hope to collectively nudge closer to a tipping point that changes recidivism among this important group from 67% to 0%.