Helping young adults break the cycle of crime
How can we reduce crime? The long-term answer is create an environment in which all our children grow up in happy, stable homes and get an education that puts them on the path to being confident, emotionally secure adults. This results in individuals ready to join the workforce and make positive contributions to the community, and fewer people who feel the hopelessness that often leads to drug use and other antisocial behavior.
Both public and private sector entities are working to address this important issue. Their efforts involve nurturing the youngest members of our community. This meaningful work will not impact the crime rate for a number of years. We as a community, and the criminal justice system, face the question of what to do in the meantime. Our default method for holding individuals accountable is to sentence them to prison. That prevents them from committing more crimes while incarcerated, but roughly 95% of incarcerated individuals will serve their time and ultimately be released back into the community. Most incarcerated individuals receive very little rehabilitative counseling or job training. That, coupled with the stigma of being an ex-convict, makes reintegration difficult. Nearly 44% of individuals released from prison return within the first year of release.
The Second Judicial District Court operates an evidence-based program that shows the potential for breaking this cycle and substantially reducing the number of crimes committed by younger adults — Young Adult Court. This specialty court, modeled on one in San Francisco, was designed to rehabilitate 18- to 25-year-olds arrested on felony charges. Interim Albuquerque Police Department Chief Harold Medina notes “creation of YAC has allowed individuals to escape a life of crime.”
According to the FBI, young adults make up approximately 10% of the United States population but account for approximately 25% of the people arrested. Young Adult Court is based on neurological research that shows young adults are developmentally more akin to teens than adults; they have a high propensity for taking risk, limited self-control and high susceptibility to peer pressure.
Highly structured program
Young Adult Court is an intense, 18- to 24-month, highly structured program requiring participants to accept accountability and address the issues that led to their criminal behavior. That could mean drug and mental health treatment, court appearances and drug testing.
Currently, there are 36 individuals in Young Adult Court. The most recent graduate completed the program on Oct. 2 after two full years in which he complied with drug testing, treatment, court hearings and meetings with his supervisory team. He has remained sober, did not commit any new crimes, and is working and contributing positively to our community. Another graduate is a young woman who was facing felony charges and addiction problems and had two young children in CYFD custody. She graduated this program after years of hard work, was able to get her children back from CYFD, and is also living and thriving in our community.
For both of these individuals, the alternative to Young Adult Court was prison, from which they would eventually have been released only to likely fall into that 44% who continue the cycle of crime.
Results like these are why Young Adult Court has support both nationally and from a wide range of local organizations, ranging from law enforcement agencies to behavioral health professionals. Supporters include Dr. Hsi with the ADOBE Project, Youth Development Inc., CNM, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department, Albuquerque Police Department and treatment provider Perfectly Imperfect.
Young Adult Court is one way to help further community safety. It should have the support of the entire community.