Does Incarcerating Youth Affect Their Health As Adults? – The Juvenile Law Center

A new study, How Does Incarcerating Young People Affect their Adult Health Outcomes?, by the American Pediatrics Association (APA) reveals that youth who have been incarcerated have poor health outcomes as adults. The APA study showed that “[f]or the 1.3 million children and adolescents arrested in the United States each year, incarceration may systematically degrade their healthy development.” The healthy and normal development of every child is necessary to create “a thriving and prosperous community.” This research supports the Juvenile Law Center’s Ten Strategies to Reduce Juvenile Length of Stay, which pushes reforms and shows evidence that longer lengths of stay in juvenile facilities harms children and increases recidivism. Read more.