Emerging adult justice focuses on achieving positive outcomes for people ages 18 to 25 involved in the criminal justice system. Why focus on this age range? Nationally, people ages 18 to 25 are overrepresented throughout the criminal legal system and have the highest recidivism rates. Too often, the justice system fails to recognize or meet the developmental needs of this population and treats emerging adults in almost the same manner as older, fully mature adults.
The age of jurisdiction between the juvenile and adult systems has differed among states over the years, but the vast majority now set it at age 18. While age 18 was once understood to signify developmental maturity, recent research suggests that brain development continues well into our 20s and that developmental milestones associated with independent, mature adulthood occur well past the 18th birthday for younger generations.
18- to 25-Year-Olds Have Distinct Developmental Needs
The term “emerging adulthood” was first introduced in 2000 by psychologist Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, who recognized a critical developmental period between adolescence and adulthood. Some institutions, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, have concurred that there is no set demarcation line for the end of adolescence. There is an extensive body of research on adolescent brain development, a period neurologically defined as beginning at the start of puberty and extending through the mid-20s.
Young people are malleable during this stage of life and undergo significant cognitive and social changes as they mature. To experience healthy, normative development, emerging adults need opportunities to explore and learn, with consistent, caring adults to support them. Most youth will desist or “age out” of crime by their mid-20s because they outgrow behavior that puts them at high risk for exposure to the justice system, such as high susceptibility to peer influence.