Bridging justice between childhood and adulthood
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Boston Celtics Player Malcolm Brogdon Urges Massachusetts to Raise the Age to 21 |
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In an opinion piece for the Boston Globe, Malcolm Brogdon, a star player with the Boston Celtics, urges Massachusetts to transform its approach to emerging adult justice from a punitive to rehabilitative framework. We have much to learn, he writes, from European nations such as Germany, Croatia, and the Netherlands, which provide specialized, age-appropriate treatment for emerging adults informed by neurological research. A critical step to emulating such models entails passing a bill now pending before the state legislature that would raise the age of juvenile jurisdiction to 21. Brogdon’s piece builds upon the Celtics' prior advocacy work to advance fair treatment for emerging adults, including submitting testimony to the state legislature on behalf of the bill’s previous iteration last session and hosting a “Play for Justice” event in September uniting individuals who are incarcerated, NBA and WNBA players, and justice advocates.
Brogdon, whose grandfather was a devoted civil rights activist, closes his article with this: “I learned from my grandfather that we can never stop pushing for the kind of change we wish to see. As a student of history, I’m inspired by him and his peers who stood bravely in the face of fear and terror and did the hard work of creating a better nation. We inherited their legacy. And, like them, Bay Staters can work to create a world that is more compassionate and equitable in our lifetimes. Let’s start with kids.”
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Image Source: Boston Globe, "Juvenile Justice Should Focus on Rehabilitation Not Punishment" (2023) |
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Mental Health Declines Among Young People |
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Study Shows Pandemic Prematurely Aged Teenage Brains and Negatively Impacted Youth Mental Health |
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Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) and Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) results before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Image Source: Gotlib et al., Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Brain Maturation in Adolescents: Implications for Analyzing Longitudinal Data (2022)
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A study by researchers from Stanford University found that youth who had lived through pandemic lockdown measures displayed neuroanatomical signs of premature aging and reported greater symptoms of anxiety, depression, and internalizing problems. Brain scans show that, as compared to same-aged youth prior to the pandemic, young people who had lived through the pandemic exhibited accelerated growth in the hippocampus and amygdala and reduction of the cortex, patterns indicative of aging or childhood trauma. The findings contribute to a wealth of research illustrating the harmful impact of the pandemic on young people’s mental health and neurological development.
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CDC Finds Youth Mental Health Has Worsened in the Past Decade, Teen Girls and LGBTQ+ Youth Most Affected
A newly released report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that the mental health of high school students has suffered over the past 10 years. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which examined various safety and mental wellness metrics, found that adolescents are experiencing increasing feelings of sadness and hopelessness, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts, as compared to a decade ago. Girls and LGBTQ+ youth consistently undergo these experiences and other symptoms of poor mental health to a greater degree than others, and are survivors of alarming rates of sexual violence.
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Image Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Youth Risk Behavior Survey: Data Summary & Trends Report" (2021) |
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Image Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Youth Risk Behavior Survey: Data Summary & Trends Report" (2021) |
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Challenges for Homeless Youth |
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New York City Directive May Leave Homeless Youth Without Critical Places to Sleep
Thousands of youth in New York City lack stable and safe places to sleep at night: in the 2021-2022 academic year alone, a total of 104,000 students across the city were homeless. Many turn to homeless youth drop-in centers, vital havens for young people without access to educational, nutritional, or other basic resources—and, most critically, places to live. Many of these youth are at risk of harm in adult shelters due to their sexual or gender identities, and depend on youth drop-in centers as safe places to turn to in emergency situations.
Yet in January of this year, the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development issued a directive prohibiting homeless youth centers from allowing overnight stays. The announcement comes at a time when reliance on these centers is increasing; from fiscal year 2022 to 2023, the number of youth receiving care from drop-in centers grew by 48 percent. Going forward, the policy change will pose unexpected challenges for homeless youth, service providers, and advocates across the city.
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Senators Critique Delays in Foster Youth to Independence Housing Vouchers
When emerging adults age out of the foster care system, they are more often than not left without necessary resources, housing, or reliable support networks. As a result, one in five will immediately join America’s homeless population; one in four do in the first four years. The Foster Youth to Independence program (FYI) provides housing vouchers to emerging adults aging out of the foster care system. But frequent delays in distribution have left many aging out youth waiting for months without a safe place to stay. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Susan Collins (R-ME), who both sit on the Congressional Coalition on Adoption have recently written a letter to the Department of Housing and Urban Development critiquing delays and demanding that the Department improve implementation of the program.
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Successful California Pilot Program Provides Basic Income for Emerging Adults Aging Out of Foster Care |
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In July 2020, Santa Clara County implemented a groundbreaking pilot program that provides guaranteed basic income to emerging adults aging out of the foster care system. The program was successful: the $1000 monthly payments have already enabled aging out youth to experience increased educational attainment, housing security, and hope for the future. Alameda County and San Francisco shortly followed suit. And, soon after that, Governor Newsom signed into law a bill that would provide state funding to uplift youth across four pilot programs, now including San Francisco, Ventura County and Inland Empire. The program may serve as a model for jurisdictions across the country.
Pictured: Veronica Vieyra, a former foster youth who participated in Santa Clara's pilot program. Image Source: The Imprint, "California Approves First State-Guaranteed Income for Foster Youth" (2021)
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Massachusetts Court Considers Constitutionality of Mandatory Life Sentences without Parole
for Emerging Adults
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The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts is currently considering whether emerging adults should receive mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole. While life sentences without parole are illegal for juveniles, regardless of the conviction, state law still mandates that those older than 18 receive life sentences without parole for first-degree murder.
Image Source: Mass.gov, "About the Supreme Judicial Court" (2023)
The court heard oral arguments last month for two companion cases, Commonwealth v. Robinson and Commonwealth v. Matthis, both involving individuals who were sentenced to life in prison without parole for crimes that occurred while they were younger than 20 years old. Defense attorneys highlighted research demonstrating the continued neurological growth of emerging adults, and the defense arguments are supported by more than two dozen former judges.
If the Court were to rule in favor of the defendants, Massachusetts would join states like Washington and Michigan in recognizing the necessity of distinguishing youth over 18 as a still developing population.
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A Second Look: DC Law Offers
Transformative Second Chance at Life
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A series by The Imprint recounts the story of Cordell Miller, a man who was sentenced to a minimum of 97 years in prison for a crime he committed at the age of 17. Miller had suffered abuse, loss, and homelessness in his youth. During his time in prison, he became an “entirely different person,” in the words of Miller’s attorney, participating in coursework through the Georgetown Prison Scholars Program and serving as a mentor to emerging adults behind the walls. As a result of D.C.’s Second Look Amendment Act, which offers the opportunity for a re-sentencing hearing for youth and emerging adults after serving 15 years of one’s sentence, Miller was released from prison. While he still confronts many challenges, Miller now lives with his family in Jamaica, his country of origin, and has begun a new life as a personal trainer.
Read the series below:
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