Foster Care, Aging Out, and Young Adult Outcomes

Central to the developmental aspect of life course perspective is the influence of childhood factors including maltreatment and foster care on criminal justice involvement and other negative life outcomes. This chapter provides an overview of the foster care system, recent statistics, and an explanation of “aging out”. Importantly, research of youth in care indicates a disproportionate number of black youth are in care and that these youth have complex trauma histories. Following this grim portrait of their experiences, research pointing to the poor young adult outcomes of youth who age out of foster care is reviewed. Research on crossover youth, a subset of foster youth who have been involved with both the child welfare system and the juvenile justice system, provides an understanding of the life trajectories and obstacles dually involved youth face in transitioning to adulthood. Overall, this research provides evidence that this population needs support and deserves criminological investigation.