Like many other states, Utah invests substantial resources in its juvenile justice system to address delinquent behavior. The goal of these efforts is to address and correct delinquent behavior among youth to prevent further criminal behavior as they mature into adults. Up to this point, Utah has lacked a mechanism for determining the share of juvenile justice-involved youth that reaches the adult criminal justice system.
To address this, the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice contracted with the Sorenson Impact Center in 2020 to examine the research area. Below are briefs that provide background literature on the relationship between youth and adult offending, the main findings from the Utah Pathways Study, and a focus on racial and ethnic disparities.
You will also find the link to the full study at the bottom of this page. It is important to keep in mind that the full study examines Utah's juvenile justice system prior to the reform policies passed in 2017. When more data for later years become available, future research is needed to examine the impact of the reform.
Full Report