Life Course Outcomes for Juveniles and Emerging Adults Sentenced to Life: Understanding the Effects of Prison

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract/Description

Many states in the U.S. routinely impose life sentences on youth, but we know very little about the long-term ramifications of imprisonment for young people. This panel brings together three unique studies that conducted life story interviews with individuals formerly sentenced to juvenile life without parole, each exploring the effects of early long-term incarceration on life course outcomes. Study 1 contemplates the phenomenon of posttraumatic growth to help explain the personal transformation, resilience, and psychological growth many of their participants experienced while incarcerated, despite the traumatic environment of prison. Study 2 focuses on how long-term incarceration disrupts the achievement of developmental milestones, specifically the formation of intimate adult relationships. The study explores how participants describe navigating this disruption when pursuing intimate relationships upon release in later life. Study 3 queries the relative role of age at incarceration in explaining reentry outcomes amongst a sample sentenced to life as either juveniles or as emerging adults.

Sub Unit

• Area VI. The Criminal Justice System / 54. Prisoner Experiences with the Justice System

Individual Presentations

• The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Posttraumatic Growth Over the Life Course for Individuals Formerly Sentenced to Juvenile Life Without Parole - Abigail R. Henson, Arizona State University; J.Z. Bennett, University of Cincinnati; Megan Forney, Monmouth University; Maria Armienta Ojeda, University of Cincinnati; Grace Martinez, George Mason University

• Vulnerability and Desire: The Duality of Building Intimate Relationships Following Release from a Life Sentence - Daphne M. Brydon, University of Cincinnati

• Exploring Juvenile and Emerging Adult Lifers’ Early Life Experiences and Rehabilitation Efforts in Prison - Victoria Rivera Laugalis, Loyola University New Orleans; Christian L. Bolden, Loyola University New Orleans

Discussant

• Laura S. Abrams, University of California, Los Angeles

Organized by a Division or external group?

Development & Life Course Criminology AND Division of Corrections & Sentencing