For decades, many communities across the United States have responded to social problems created by poverty, disinvestment, and early childhood trauma through punitive approaches that include increased surveillance, aggressive policing, and incarcerating young people. These strategies can have profound, long-term negative effects on education, employment, and health outcomes (Barnert et al. 2018; Raphael and Stoll 2009), as well as increase the odds of future entanglements with the criminal justice system (Mendel 2023). In practice, the criminalization of young people has disproportionately harmed Black youth, reflecting broader patterns of racial inequity and highlighting the urgent need for alternative approaches that prioritize opportunity, support, and prevention over punishment.
This report is part of the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center research initiative on youth and young adults. This research was generously supported by The California Endowment.