Incarceration devastates entire families. According to the National Institute of Justice, "children whose parents are involved in the criminal justice system, in particular, face a host of challenges and difficulties: psychological strain, antisocial behavior, suspension or expulsion from school, economic hardship, and criminal activity. It is difficult to predict how a child will fare when a parent is intermittently or continually incarcerated, and research findings on these children's risk factors are mixed." Moreover:
You have probably already learned by now about how Zero Tolerance School policies discriminately send misbehaving students to juvenile detention facilities. It is time to understand the long-term consequences of these measures. When young individuals enter the juvenile justice system, they often receive a criminal record, even though they are still in the process of development and learning. This early criminal record can stigmatize them and make it more likely for law enforcement and the legal system to target them in the future. It sets the stage for ongoing interactions with the criminal justice system.
According to the "Journal of Criminal Justice", individuals who had been involved in the juvenile justice system were more likely to be arrested as adults.
The Sentencing Project reports that young people who have been incarcerated in the juvenile justice system often face educational disruptions. They may fall behind in school or not receive the necessary support to catch up upon release. This makes them more likely to drop out of school and engage in criminal activities due to difficulty in finding employment.