Environmental Scan of Criminal Justice Responses to Justice-Involved Young Adults

• NCJ Number: 250281
• Author(s): Carrie Mulford; Marina M. Mendoza; Brent Cohen
• Date Published: October 2016
• Length: 10 pages
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Presentation (Multimedia); Conference Material

Annotation

This video and accompanying transcript cover a webinar panel presentation of the results of the recently published " Environmental Scan of Developmentally Appropriate Criminal Justice Responses to Justice-Involved Young Adults," which was produced by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ).

Abstract

Carrie Mulford, a NIJ social science analyst, provides background information on why NIJ became interested in the topic of criminal justice responses to justice-involved young adults. She refers to a number of publications on the neurodevelopment of young adults and how this bears upon behavioral capacities of young adults. Marina M. Bendoza, a SRCD Policy Fellow at NIJ, presents an overview of NIJ's effort in the publication to address what is being done to tailor criminal justice policies and programs to the developmental needs of justice-involved young adults. The methodology used in this NIJ-sponsored study is described. The justice programs for young adults were found to be diverse and jurisdiction-specific; however, there were some common trends. A prominent feature in most of the programs and services was intensive case management. Services tended to focus on housing, substance abuse, mental health, vocational training, and employment opportunities. Many programs gave priority to using evidence-informed and evidence-based practices. This encompassed an appreciation for scientific findings on the development of the brain into young adulthood as a factor in programming. Brent Cohen, a Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of Justice Programs, focuses on programming for justice-involved young adults in his work in the Justice Department. Much of his effort has been to work with colleagues at the Departments of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services, since these departments are also concerned with improving their services to young adults.