Up to 41 percent of 23-year-olds have been arrested

December 19, 2011

Up to 41 percent of all 23-year-olds may have been arrested. Image: Flickr / mitzabot_goes_boom / CC-BY-SA
Up to 41 percent of all 23-year-olds have been arrested. Image: Flickr / mitzabot_goes_boom / CC-BY-SA

In a recent study of teens and young adults, one group of researchers has found that by the age of 23, as many as 41 percent of individuals have been arrested. These arrests could indicate an increase in criminal behavior, or a willingness of police to arrest younger individuals.

Survey of teens

Professor of criminal justice and criminology Robert Brame was co-author of a study of about 7,000 young people. The self-reported questionnaires, issued between 1997 and 2008, asked about arrests and general life events. During the 11 years of the study, a significant number of young individuals dropped out. At the beginning of the survey, the adolescents were between 12 and 16 years old, and the surveys were issued once a year for the 11 years.

Arrest statistics

The statistics for arrest of these young adults are varied, because of the number that dropped out. However, the general results are that at the age of 12, only about 1 percent of adolescents have been arrested for any reason. By the age of 23, however, between 25 and 41 percent of the young adults have been arrested at least once. Most of these arrests are for relatively minor infractions, from disturbing the peace to theft and marijuana possession or use. This statistic is significantly higher than the 22 percent of young adults arrested in 1965.

Concerns about arrests

The arrests of young people are especially concerning, given the effects an arrest can have later in life. An arrest record, especially over the age of 18, can make getting a job much more difficult. An arrest record can also lead to a much more difficult time getting into college or building a positive credit history. Arrests can also be a very ineffective way to address criminal behavior in adolescents and young adults, because it is often an indicator of problems at home.

Sources:

Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/19/us-arrests-idUSTRE7BI0SK20111219
MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45723332/ns/health-childrens_health/#.Tu-3Mnore_0
ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/arrests-increasing-us-youth/story?id=15180222#.Tu-5xXore_0

Post By bryanh (1,397 Posts)

Connect

Do you have a fantastic idea related to this article, but just don't have the money you need to start your own company or side-business? Get the loans you need from https://personalmoneynetwork.com to help get your new company underway, from the small loan professionals at PersonalMoneyNetwork.

PG&E to pay $70 million for pipeline tragedy

Pacific Gas and Electric was responsible for a pipeline explosion that killed eight in 2010. Image: juggernautco/Flickr/CC BY

Pacific Gas and Electric Co., a northern California utility, has agreed to pay $70 million to the California town of San Bruno for a pipeline explosion that killed eight people in 2010. Company says it’s remorseful The San Francisco-based power company’s president, Chris Johns, released a statement Monday, saying PG&E is sorry and eager to [...]

Judge stabbed and deputy shot in Washington courthouse

Grays Harbor County Courthouse. Image: MiK/Flickr/CC BY-SA

Following a standoff in a Washington state county courtroom Friday, a man reportedly escaped after shooting a sheriff’s deputy in the shoulder and stabbing a judge in the neck. The man is still at large. Treachery among the tree farms The incident occurred Friday afternoon in the western Washington town of Montesano, which bills itself [...]

Microraptor was one flashy little dinosaur

This Microraptor fossil is preserved at China's Shandong Tianyu Museum of Nature. Image: Hello, I am Bruce/Flickr/CC BY-SA

A team of Chinese and American scientists have found that Microraptor, a small four winged dinosaur that went extinct about 130 million years ago, was likely black and almost certainly had glossy, iridescent feathers. Until now, the coloring of extinct creatures was a matter of pure speculation. That may no longer be the case. The [...]

Autocorrected message leads to school lockdown

The Gainesville, Ga. Homage to the Sun presides over anotehr day as a piotential tragedy turns out to be a mistake. Image" Olaf/Flickr/CC BY-SA

Adjacent schools in Georgia were locked down for two hours Wednesday after a text message reportedly warned of a “gunman” on campus. Later, it was learned that the message was the result of a smartphone autocorrect function, attempting to “fix” the misspelled slang word “gunna.” A series of mixups A series of mixups led to [...]

Recent Posts by

Coca-Cola has begun to use a different kind of caramel color to avoid a cancer label. (Photo Credit: Public Domain/Cane cane/Wikipedia)