More than 20,000 youth age out of the foster care system every year. Independent research and government statistics reveal stark outcomes for these young adults, including disproportionately high rates of incarceration. Some experts now claim there exists a “foster care-to-prison pipeline,” calling into question the efficacy of removing children from their homes and decrying the lack of supports offered to transitioning foster youth.

Foster youth face serious trauma, but there is nothing inevitable about their trajectories. Indeed, the interactions between child welfare and law enforcement agencies may be creating more problems than they are solving. Please join AEI’s Naomi Schaefer Riley as she leads a distinguished panel of experts on the challenges facing former and current foster youth and their intersection with the criminal justice system.

If you’ve enjoyed the content of this event, check out Naomi’s newest podcast addressing child welfare, Are You Kidding Me?, on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Please note this audio has been edited for time; it first appeared at an AEI event held on March 2, 2020, at AEI’s headquarters in Washington, DC.

Watch the full event here.