Executive Summary

This project aimed to better understand the specific needs and challenges facing emerging adults (18–25 years) within the criminal justice system. To achieve this aim, 47 young people with experience of the criminal justice system were interviewed about their experiences and for any suggestions for how they could be better served.

The experiences and perspectives of young people who participated in this project appeared consistent with current knowledge about brain development, including their assertion that emerging adulthood is a distinct developmental period where young people need tailored supports. These supports should include opportunities to develop employment skills, life skills and social skills; as well as to engage in prosocial relationships and activities.

Also consistent with current knowledge of the developing brain, young people described the negative effects of past trauma as well as of stress, boredom and isolation. Young adults who had experienced stress, boredom and isolation while serving a custodial sentence (particularly during the pandemic) and while on remand were among those calling for more opportunities to participate in programming while in custody.

Overall, young adults were generally appreciative of the programming available to them in custody and through community programs. However, they had a number of suggestions to make programming more relevant to young adults, including a focus on building employment skills and experience; as well as opportunities to develop life skills, address the root causes of their offending behaviour and participate in age-appropriate recreational and social activities.

In addition to their suggestions for greater access to programming reflective of their developmental stage, young people identified a number of legislative changes that they felt were needed to better support 18–25-year-olds in the criminal justice system. These included decreasing court processing times, ensuring young adults can understand and are able to comply with legislative requirements imposed upon them, separating them from older inmates in custody, providing an advocate to support young adults through the system and back into the community, and applying the same standards for sealing or destroying a young adult’s criminal record as are applied to a youth.

Young people from vulnerable and marginalized populations felt that increased community surveillance, training and accountability would reduce the number of 18–25-year-olds who entered the criminal justice system, as would increased supports and services for youth transitioning out of government care. They also felt that young adults who did enter the criminal justice system would be better served through the introduction of specialized, culturally appropriate services, and the provision of authentic opportunities for young adults to engage with their culture.

Despite the racism experienced by Indigenous young people in other parts of the criminal justice system (e.g., within the court system), those who had served a custodial sentence were generally appreciative of the cultural programming available to them within both the youth and adult custody centres. Non-Indigenous young people also noted being appreciative of the opportunity to learn more about Indigenous culture while incarcerated.