National Public Radio (NPR) reports that a new study published in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, found that there has been a significant increase in the number of Americans 23-years old and younger, since 1965, when the last estimate was published. The study included self-reports of arrests from individuals 8 - 23 years of age.
According to NPR “…in the mid-1960s about 22 percent of Americans reported having been arrested by the time they turned 23, researchers estimate that the "prevalence rate" for arrests by that age now lies "between 30.2 percent and 41.4 percent.”
The Academy of Pediatrics is concerned that young people saddled with an arrest record will be set up for failure. Studies have found that people with criminal convictions have a harder time finding employment, housing, and higher educational opportunities. Young people sent to juvenile detention facilities often have a difficult time catching up to grade level when released, and have been shown to be more likely to be remanded to an adult correctional facility in the future.
|
