Formal Bonds During the Transition to Adulthood: Extended Foster Care Support and Criminal/Legal Involvement

Background and Purpose Youth aging out of the foster care system report higher levels of criminal and legal system involvement than their peers in the general population (Courtney, 2007; Barth, 1990). Risk for involvement in the justice system peaks during late adolescence (Cusick & Courtney, 2007; Vaughn, Shook, & McMillen, 2008), around the time many of these foster youths are preparing to exit care. Extending foster care beyond age 18 may have a positive impact on reducing criminal involvement for these youth, since their continued bond to a formal system of care may operate as a means of informal social control.

This study examines the relationship between extending care past age 18 and self-reported criminal and legal involvement among youth aging out of the foster care system. We hypothesize that staying in care past age 18 acts as a protective factor, reducing the likelihood that youth will engage in criminal behavior or experience arrests, incarcerations and/or convictions.

Methods We use data from all four waves of the Midwest Study to estimate the impact of extended time in care on criminal and/or legal involvement during the transition to adulthood. Self-reported crime variables are counts of property, violent, and drug behaviors as well as an overall count since the last interview. Legal involvement is measured as reported arrest, incarceration, or conviction since the last interview. Multilevel models are used with observations from each wave nested within individuals. These analyses also control for school and employment histories, placement variables (e.g., placement type and number of placements), mental health and substance use status, urbanicity, state, and history of legal involvement at age 17. Models were estimated separately for men and women.

Results Self-reported crime and legal involvement decline over time, resembling previously documented trends in criminal involvement over the life course. The bivariate relationships between care status and self-reported drug-related crime as well as the three legal involvement outcomes are significant at age 19. By age 21 and 23, none of the participants remain in care. However, multivariate longitudinal analyses indicate that care status is not statistically significant. For both men and women, a history of being arrested by age 17 was statistically significant. For men, education and employment history were consistently significant across outcomes, as were college aspirations. For women, placement characteristics were consistently significant across outcomes.

Conclusion This study does not find evidence that formally extending the youths' bond to the foster care system will reduce self-reported criminal behavior and involvement in the legal system. However, past research has documented the gains in education and employment for those who remain in care past 18 (Courtney, Dworsky, & Pollack, 2007), as well as the reduction in criminal behavior for those who are beginning to achieve markers of adulthood such as employment and family formation (Crutchfield & Pitchford, 1997; Sampson & Laub, 1990). Further research in this area is needed to test the potential mediating effect of gains to education, employment, and social capital through extended care on criminal and legal outcomes.