Testing the Long-Term Effectiveness of the My Life Intervention for Youth in Foster Care: Avoiding Criminal Justice Involvement in Early Adulthood

Background/Purpose: Two major federally-funded randomized trials of the My Life mentoring program for adolescents in foster care were extended with long-term follow-up to evaluate whether the model has enduring effects on criminal offending and justice system involvement. The My Life intervention is a year-long weekly mentoring model (beginning at age 16.5-17.5) to increase youth self-determination through structured didactic, experiential, and relationship-building activities in ways that support positive transitions from the foster care system (Powers, Geenen, Powers, et al., 2012). This study reports findings from a 24-month post-intervention assessment of criminal justice involvement.

Methods: Follow-up data was collected from 145 participants in the My Life randomized controlled studies (85% response rate). The respondents, of whom 54% were female, had a mean age of 19.8 at the time of assessment. A majority (62%) received special education services (SPED) in high school due to an identified disability. Analysis of variance was used to test for group differences on validated delinquency scales (Elliott, Huizinga, & Menard, 1989; Piquero, Macintosh, Hickman, 2002). Chi-square analysis was used to test for differences by intervention, SPED status, and gender on prior-year criminal justice involvement (CJI) in terms of any arrests, convictions, or days incarcerated, on probation, or on parole.

Results: Overall, 19% (n=27) of the sample reported CJI, with a statistically significant difference by intervention condition (12% My Life group versus 25% control group). Differences in CJI also were noted according to gender (27% males versus 13% females) but not by SPED status (18% SPED versus 21% non-SPED). Furthermore, intervention effects varied by both gender and SPED status. For males, participation in My Life reduced the likelihood of CJI (12% My Life versus 27% control group), but this was not observed for females (13% My Life versus 14% control group). For non-SPED youth, participation in My Life resulted in a dramatic decline in CJI compared to the reference group (7% My Life versus 35% control group), but no difference was noted for SPED students (16% My Life versus 20% control group).

Conclusions/Implications: This study informs child welfare and youth mentoring policy and practice by showing that a theoretically-based mentoring program for adolescents in foster care has enduring effects, resulting in a reduction of criminal offending in early adulthood. Importantly, the My Life intervention was designed for foster youth, including those experiencing a range of disabilities, but it did not specifically target criminal justice outcomes. Overall, CJI for study participants was 19% in early adulthood, but more than twice as many youth in the control group reported CJI compared to youth randomized to receive the My Life intervention 2-3 years prior. In particular, My Life participation was effective in reducing CJI among males and youth not receiving special education services, a proxy for disability status. With growing interest in ways to better serve “crossover youth” at risk for involvement in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, these findings position structured mentoring programs like My Life as a viable approach to prevent justice involvement in early adulthood.