Chapin Hall Center for Children, University of Chicago
Using a sample of young adults aging out of foster care and a nationally representative sample of their peers, this issue brief examines criminal offending and involvement in the justice system among those groups during their transitions to adulthood, from about ages 17 to 19.
Researchers found that “youth aging out of care had higher rates of offending across a range of behaviors from property crimes to serious violent crimes.” Foster youth were more than 10 times as likely as the comparison sample to report having been arrested since age 18. The report also supports previous research that found offending tends to decrease among youth aging out of foster care over the two-year period between ages 17 and 19. Free with registration. Seven pages. (773) 753-5900, http://www.chapinhall.org/article_abstract.aspx?ar=1443&L2=61&L3=132.
