Corrections_Today_Summer_2024_Vol.86_No.2

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the carceral system, so that they can have a chance to live healthy and fulfilling lives. CT ENDNOTES 1 Halfon, Neal, and Miles Hochstein. “Life course health development: an integrated framework for developing health, policy, and research.” The Milbank Quarterly 80.3 (2002): 433-479. 2 Barnert, Elizabeth S., Raymond Perry, and Robert E. Morris. “Juvenile incarceration and health.” Academic pediatrics 16.2 (2016): 99-109. 3 Monnat, Shannon M., and Raeven Faye Chandler. “Long‐term physical health consequences of adverse childhood experiences.” The Sociological Quarterly 56.4 (2015): 723-752. 4 Hughes, Karen, et al. “The effect of multiple adverse childhood experiences on health: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” The Lancet public health 2.8 (2017): e356-e366. 5 Barnert, Elizabeth, et al. “Reimagining Children’s Rights in the US.” JAMA pediatrics 176.12 (2022): 1242-1247. 6 Barnert, Elizabeth S., Raymond Perry, and Robert E. Morris. “Juvenile incarceration and health.” Academic pediatrics 16.2 (2016): 99-109. 7 Haber, Lawrence A., Chesa Boudin, Brie A. Williams. “Criminal Justice Reform is Health Care Reform.” JAMA 331.1 (2024): 21-22. 8 Baglivio, Michael T., and Nathan Epps. “The interrelatedness of adverse childhood experiences among high-risk juvenile offenders.” Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 14.3 (2016): 179-198. 9 Dudovitz, Rebecca N., et al. “Long-term health implications of school quality.” Social Science & Medicine 158 (2016): 1-7. 10 Baglivio, Michael T., Nathan Epps, Kimberly Swartz, Mona Sayedul Huq, Amy Sheer, and Nancy S. Hardt. “The prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) in the lives of juvenile offenders.” Journal of juvenile justice 3.2 (2014). 11 Wolff, Kevin T., and Michael T. Baglivio. “Adverse childhood experiences, negative emotionality, and pathways to juvenile recidivism.” Crime & Delinquency 63.12 (2017): 1495-1521. 12 Graf, Gloria Huei-Jong, et al. “Adverse childhood experiences and justice system contact: A systematic review.” Pediatrics 147.1 (2021).

have suffered from the consequences of ACEs and incarceration, several important steps are warranted. Firstly, we need to recognize that more research is needed to better understand the specific needs of transition age youth. For example, despite the immense developmen tal challenges among transition age youth, the study of ACEs and incarceration have largely focused on adolescent and adult popula tions. Given the unique challenges of this age group, more studies need to examine the relationship between ACEs and criminal legal involvement among transition age youth to iden tify opportunities for interventions. Specifically, the study of ACEs for transition age youth involved in the criminal legal system and in reentry can illuminate specific care needs and opportunities for interventions. For example, does ACE exposure affect reentry for transition age youth dif ferently than for older adults? Secondly, we need programs and policies that address comprehensive health and social services in place of, during, and/or after incarceration. Whole Person Care-Los Angeles (WPC-LA) is an example. WPC-LA, a reentry intervention delivered by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Sciences (LAC-DHS), is a program dedicated to building an integrated health system to improve care for Los Angeles County Medic aid recipients, including community members who are unhoused, preg nant, and have mental illnesses, substance use disorders, or complex health conditions. The WPC Reentry Program serves adults recently re leased from jail and provides health, social service, and community

connections. The program offers transition services before and after release, with community health workers who have lived experience in the carceral system. Enrolling over 25,000 participants over a span of only a few years, the WPC Reentry program led to at least 97% of partic ipants having a reentry care plan, an increase of 12% in primary care vis its, and a 4% decrease in emergency room visits from one year before the post-release program enrollment to one year after enrollment. 23 Programs like WPC-LA can be foundational and perhaps even life-saving for spe cific populations during the reentry period, like transition age youth. Thirdly, in addition to research on the specific needs of transition age youth as well as deployment of targeted interventions, there is a crucial need for prevention of ACE exposure during childhood in the first place, which can have inter generational benefits in lowering incarceration risk. Early ACE iden tification can be enormous for risk detection for carceral involvement and health-related problems, and practices that screen for ACEs and offer remediation are needed. Concluding thoughts Ultimately, the interplay of ACEs and carceral system involvement is complex with devastating health outcomes. Specific populations like transition age youth stand to suffer the consequences of ACEs and car ceral involvement. Robust support systems, interventions, and research are needed to better understand the lived experiences and needs of transition age youth with ACEs in

Corrections Today | Summer 2024

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