TY - JOUR
T1 - A First Look at the Reentry Experiences of Juvenile Lifers Released in Philadelphia
AU - Daftary-Kapur, Tarika
AU - Zottoli, Tina M.
AU - Faust, Tristin
AU - Schneider, Ryan
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was funded by the Vital Projects Fund. Portions of the data appearing in this article were presented at the American Society of Criminology Annual meeting in Chicago in November 2021. The authors have no conflicts of interest that could have influenced the findings reported
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 American Psychological Association
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - In 2012, when the U.S. Supreme Court abolished mandatory sentences of life without parole for persons who committed homicide offenses as juveniles, over 2,000 individuals across the United States were serving the sentence. To date, more than 800 juvenile lifers have been released. To better understand the experiences and needs of this population, we surveyed 112 Philadelphia-based juvenile lifers about their earlylife experiences, the periods of their incarceration, and their release and reentry experiences. The majority of respondents reported relatively successful reentry experiences as measured by objective indicators such as housing and jobs. Eighty-one percent (n = 91) of respondents had secured stable housing, 75% (n = 84) were employed at least part-time, and 100% (n = 112) had been able to reconnect with 1 or more family members. Respondents rated family connections and support as critical to their successful reentry, and for most respondents (89%, n = 100) expectations of family support was well calibrated with actual support. Factors associated with perceived challenges to reentry included the number of adverse childhood events to which a respondent was exposed, age (with greater difficulties reported by respondents younger than 44 & older than 55, compared to others), physical and mental health, and the extent to which actual family support was consistent with expectations. We discuss the policy implications of our findings in light of continued trends toward decarceration in the United States and the potential that parole grants for persons serving long sentences for violent crimes may continue to increase
AB - In 2012, when the U.S. Supreme Court abolished mandatory sentences of life without parole for persons who committed homicide offenses as juveniles, over 2,000 individuals across the United States were serving the sentence. To date, more than 800 juvenile lifers have been released. To better understand the experiences and needs of this population, we surveyed 112 Philadelphia-based juvenile lifers about their earlylife experiences, the periods of their incarceration, and their release and reentry experiences. The majority of respondents reported relatively successful reentry experiences as measured by objective indicators such as housing and jobs. Eighty-one percent (n = 91) of respondents had secured stable housing, 75% (n = 84) were employed at least part-time, and 100% (n = 112) had been able to reconnect with 1 or more family members. Respondents rated family connections and support as critical to their successful reentry, and for most respondents (89%, n = 100) expectations of family support was well calibrated with actual support. Factors associated with perceived challenges to reentry included the number of adverse childhood events to which a respondent was exposed, age (with greater difficulties reported by respondents younger than 44 & older than 55, compared to others), physical and mental health, and the extent to which actual family support was consistent with expectations. We discuss the policy implications of our findings in light of continued trends toward decarceration in the United States and the potential that parole grants for persons serving long sentences for violent crimes may continue to increase
KW - Juvenile lifers
KW - Juveniles
KW - Life without parole
KW - Lifers
KW - Reentry
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85130594864&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/law0000344
DO - 10.1037/law0000344
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85130594864
SN - 1076-8971
JO - Psychology, Public Policy, and Law
JF - Psychology, Public Policy, and Law
ER -