1 in 3 youths arrested by age 23!

1 in 3 U.S. Youths will be arrested by age 23! This is substantially higher than what was predicted in the 1960’s. Adults who have or work with children should be extremely concerned. The report posted online by the Journal of Pediatrics, shows that between about 25% to 41% of 23-year-olds have been arrested or taken into police custody at least once for a non-traffic offense. If you factor in missing cases, that percentage could lie between about 30% and 41%.

The study found that the greatest risk occurred during late adolescence or emerging adulthood. The study indicated that by age 18, about 16% to 27% have been arrested.

Dr. Brame, the lead researcher of the reported says "Arrest is a pretty common experience." meaning for teens and young adults. Brame, the father of three young children, says he and his colleagues usually publish their research in journals read by criminologists, not pediatricians. But they wanted to reach out to pediatricians because they’re especially well-suited to heading off problems.

“Our main purpose in this paper was to get pediatricians to think about this and maybe have a broader discussion with their patients than they otherwise would have.”

Young people might feel more comfortable talking with their pediatrician than their parents about such issues as drug use, Brame says: “The pediatrician has training and skills to connect that person with appropriate programs and interventions.”

They are also setting themselves up for a destructive and toxic start to life, whether from violent and unsafe behavior, to an increased risk for an unhealthy lifestyle.

The researchers base their conclusion on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, ages 8 to 23. Data analyzed in the new study came from national surveys of youth conducted annually from 1997 to 2008.

Their finding contrasts with a 1965 study that predicted 22% of U.S. youths would be arrested for an offense other than a minor traffic violation by age 23.

Why the Increase?

Foremost is the lack of tolerance. Society just isn't allowing many of the crimes that are being committed to be handled locally and in less formal settings.

“The criminal justice system has clearly become more aggressive in dealing with offenders (particularly those who commit drug offenses and violent crimes) since the 1960s,” the authors, all criminologists, write. In addition, “there is some evidence that the transition from adolescence to adulthood has become a longer process.”

From the 1920s through the 1960s, the proportion of the population that was incarcerated remained remarkably stable at about 100 inmates per 100,000 people, says Dr. Brame. But today he says, that figure has soared to 500 inmates per 100,000 people.

More aggressive treatment of offenders has led to a decline in the crime rate, Brame says: “I think it’s pretty clear that some violent crimes have been prevented by having people locked up in prison.”

But he questions whether the expense of incarceration -- $25,000 to $30,000 per person per year -- is the best use of the money. Perhaps the funds would be better spent on programs that not only could lower the crime rate but carry other benefits as well, such as stopping a person from committing a crime in the first place, Brame says.

“Criminologists and economists are wrestling with that question right now,” he says.