Formal Bonds During the Transition to Adulthood: Extended Foster Care Support and Criminal/Legal Involvement

This study examines the relationship between extending care past age 18 and self-reported criminal and legal involvement among youth aging out of the foster care system, hypothesizing that staying in care past age 18 acts as a protective factor by reducing the likelihood that youth will engage in criminal behavior or experience arrests, incarcerations, and/or convictions. Data from a prospective study of former foster youth are used to test this hypothesized relationship. There is evidence that extending the youths' bond to the foster care system is associated with fewer arrests among females.