From school closings to social isolation to prom cancellations, there’s no question that American teenagers are being impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Adolescents involved with the juvenile justice system are facing even more unique challenges navigating this trying time.
Caitlin Cavanagh, an assistant professor in the MSU School of Criminal Justice, was awarded a grant of over $114,000 from the National Science Foundation to study how this crisis is affecting developmental outcomes for youth who are incarcerated or on probation, compared to those youth outside of the juvenile justice system.
Looking specifically at sleep patterns and social development, Cavanagh and her collaborators at the University of Texas, El Paso, are hoping to better understand how this pandemic will affect these teens right now and in the long run.
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