Understanding the lived experiences of youth incarcerated in adult facilities through their letters: A content analysis

Abstract

Youth in the United States continue to be tried, sentenced, and incarcerated as adults, despite their age and developmental immaturity. To better understand the lived experience of sentencing youth as adults, a content analysis was completed to synthesize 267 letters written by incarcerated persons sentenced as youth from across the United States to inductively identify common themes that encapsulate youths’ experiences. Six themes emerged from these efforts: (1) youth who commit crimes are fundamentally less culpable than adults; (2) youth who are prosecuted in adult court are often ignorant of their legal rights, have inappropriate legal representation, and/or are pressured into plea deals; (3) serious juvenile crime is often a product of dysfunctional environments; (4) violent, overcrowded, and isolating prison conditions are antithetical to rehabilitation; (5) youth who are detained in adult jails and prisons are acutely vulnerable to violence and abuse while incarcerated; and (6) people who have been incarcerated for crimes they committed as juveniles are capable of transformation and aspire to contribute to society in a positive way. We situate these themes within both literature and policy to provide a more holistic understanding of the impacts of youthful incarceration, and how to mitigate its harms.