Hidalgo County Emerging Adult Strategy: A Swift, Certain, Fair Approach to Supervising Emerging Adults

• In Event: Smart Supervision

Abstract

Emerging adults (EA) (i.e., 18-25) present an array of developmental issues including impulsivity, the inability to regulate emotions, and being less likely to consider future consequences of their behavior (Sheidow et al., 2015). Probation services should address the developmental and age-related processes that may influence supervision success or failure (Schiaraldi et al., 2015). Yet, relatively few agencies offer services for the unique needs of EA. Thirty-one percent of the nearly 10,000 individuals supervised by the Hidalgo County Probation Department are 18-25 years old and they make up nearly half of all revocations. The Hidalgo County Emerging Adult Strategy (HCEAS) seeks to address this high rate of revocations through a specialized probation caseload designed to use swift, certain, and fair incentive and sanctions to promote positive behaviors by addressing key EA developmental issues during supervision. HCEAS includes a specialized curriculum intended to guide case management strategies specifically for the EA probationer. The specialty caseloads will tailor supervision include: 1) identity exploration, 2) self-focus, 3) instability in life, 4) future possibilities, 5) feeling in-between (Arnett, 2000), and 6) incentivizing positive behavior (Sheidow et al., 2016). This paper discusses the creation of a specialized curriculum, as well as potential challenges for implementation.

Authors

• Faustino Lopez, Hidalgo County Community Supervision & Corrections Department

• Jennifer Lerch, George Mason University