Poster #109 - Michigan’s Raise the Age Laws, Unemployment, and Juvenile Outcomes

• In Event: Poster Session II (posters 80 – 155)

Abstract

Raise the Age (RTA) laws are criminal justice reform laws that widen the age range for those who are considered juveniles by the criminal justice system within the state. While this policy has grown in popularity, little evaluation has been conducted on its effectiveness in reducing juvenile arrests and bettering outcomes. In this study, I assess the effectiveness of RTA laws on arrest incidents of juveniles in Michigan during the period of 2019-2023 using a panel one-group pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design and a three-step mediation analysis. The panel one-group pretest–posttest analysis found that there was a statistically significant decrease in arrest incidents for ages 16 through 25 in Michigan from 2019 to 2023, although the theoretically relevant controls were not significant. The three-step mediation analysis found that there was a statistically significant decrease in arrest incidents for ages 16 through 25 in Michigan from 2019 to 2023, although the theoretically relevant controls were not significant, and mediation was not significant. These findings meaningfully contribute to the growing field of evaluation regarding RTA laws and suggest that they may be a relevant factor in reducing arrest incidents for juveniles.

Author

• Esther Nzomo, Kent State University