The following project is one of five funded Collaboration projects:
PI: Andrea Lollini (UC Law SF)
Co-Investigators: Kathy Do (UCLA), Angela James (UCLA)
Institutions/Organizations: UCLA, San Francisco Young Adult Court, Felton Institute
The CA Institute has established a partnership with YAC, a groundbreaking experimental program at the intersection of criminal justice, education and behavioral supports. YAC is one of several collaborative courts within the San Francisco Superior Court system. Collaborative courts use a team approach to support participants to reach their goals, connect to community services, and ultimately promote rehabilitation and avoid recidivism.
Abstract: Transitional-aged youth (ages 18-24) are often treated like older adults in the criminal justice system, despite evidence from neuroscience research that brain regions involved in regulating risk-taking and impulsive behavior are still developing into the mid-twenties. Established in 2015, the Young Adult Court (YAC) in San Francisco (YAC-SF) offers an alternative court model for transitional-aged youth with serious felony offenses by combining judicial supervision with intensive social and health services delivered by Felton Institute to improve reintegration and reduce recidivism. This mixed-methods study will examine the correlates of engagement with program services and behavioral and mental health among participants who completed the YAC-SF program. Our study will (1) analyze secondary data collected by YAC-SF and Felton Institute to examine changes in participants’ engagement and health outcomes during the program (n=168); (2) recruit YAC-SF completers to participate in a mixed-methods longitudinal study of their life experiences after the program; and (3) conduct a legal analysis of YAC-SF and its alignment with restorative justice principles. Our interdisciplinary, cross-institutional team has expertise in law (Lollini and Charles, UC Law SF), neuroscience (Do, UCLA), and education (Do and James, UCLA), as well as established partnerships with YAC-SF and Felton Institute to ensure successful recruitment, data collection, and analysis of this project. Results will offer valuable insights into the efficacy of restorative justice programs in supporting the reintegration of transitional-aged youth after detention, thereby guiding evidence-based legal reforms and the expansion of wraparound services (e.g., education) to support a successful transition into adulthood.
