Juvenile Incarceration Is Associated with Worse Adult Health Outcomes

Of the more than 1 million juveniles arrested annually in the U.S., an estimated 80% will be incarcerated again as adults, 50% have urgent medical needs, 70% have at least one psychiatric disorder, and 12% are expecting a child. Using 1994–2008 data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, investigators evaluated the association between cumulative incarceration time as a juvenile and subsequent adult health outcomes.

Of 20,000 youth (grades 7–12) who completed baseline surveys, 14,000 subsequently completed 14-year follow-up surveys, and of these, 14% had been incarcerated as juveniles. Cumulative incarceration time was <1 month in 50%, 1–12 months in 35%, and >1 year in 15%. Individuals incarcerated before grade 7…