Emerging adults – individuals aged 17 to 24 – experience arrest and conviction at higher rates than their older peers. While extensive research suggests several potential reasons for this, emerging neuroscience suggests one of the greatest individual level explanatory reasons may be from brain development. Neuroscience suggests these individuals are cognitively distinct because their brain development, especially that which regulates decision making, emotional control, executive functioning, and impulse control, is still developing.

Currently, many corrections agencies, like prisons and jails, and community supervision agencies, like probation are parole, are responsible for providing programming and support to this group to help them move back into or thrive in their home communities. This emerging science suggests the most responsive care corrections agencies can provide to this group is developmentally appropriate programming which cognitively meets them where they are.

In response, many states across the US have developed unique criminal legal system responses to this population including specialized courts, specialized housing units in jails and prisons, and specialized caseloads. While there are agencies across the country who have specialized probation units for emerging adults, there is less known about specifics of their units and/or policies.

JSP is partnering with the Annie E. Casey Foundation to conduct a national exploratory survey to learn more about policies, practices, and features of the units and caseloads. After data collection, JSP will synthesize the data to build a framework for core components of emerging adult programs across corrections settings. This will allow interested correctional agencies – either custody or community corrections – greater insight into how to develop their own local models for this unique population. Implementing these types of models centers individuals who remain entangled in the criminal legal system and supports their growth through curated and intentional programming.