During the past decade and a half, the number of young people confined or placed out of the home in the juvenile justice system has been cut in half. While there is still much more progress to be made — the country is still incarcerating far too many young people, particularly young people of color — what is happening in the juvenile justice system stands in stark contrast to the challenges seen in reducing adult imprisonment.
In an effort to kick-start change in adult criminal justice reform, some have been calling for a different approach to “young adults” — those 18- to 24-year-olds currently under custody of the adult justice system. Young adults make up roughly 1 in 5 people incarcerated in U.S. prisons and jails. Half of them are people of color, and are victims of crime at twice the rate of others. It is clear that a better approach to young adults in the justice system is needed to create safer communities and see fewer people in prison and jail.
[For more of this story, written by Marc A. Schindler, go to http://jjie.org/2016/12/14/dra...es-for-young-adults/]
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