Identifying demographic and health profiles of young adults with frequent jail incarceration in New York City during 2011-2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate incarceration patterns among young adults in New York City jails from mid-2011 through 2017, with an aim that identification of frequently incarcerated young "hot spotters" may inform early interventions. Methods: We examined electronic health records for 3114 individuals with no known prior jail admission and admitted within 4.5 years after turning age 18 years. We used group-based trajectory analysis to identify hot spotters and compared their characteristics with those of other trajectory groups. We repeated the analysis for three older adult groups for additional comparison. Results: Five percent of the young individuals became hot spotters (mean = 7.7 incarcerations). They were more likely to be homeless (27.1% vs. 7.2%-16.4% in other trajectory groups), have substance use disorders (95.2% vs. 73.2%-89.8%), and mental health needs (65.7% vs. 28.5%-53.3%), and be incarcerated for theft-related charges (52.7% vs. 32.0%-49.6%) and misdemeanors (34.8 vs. 25.5%-29.4%). They differed in charge profile and homelessness compared with older hot spotters. Conclusions: Some young adults are at risk of frequent incarceration. Tailored health- and behaviorrelated interventions may preclude cyclical incarceration and address barriers to well-being and stability. Published by Elsevier Inc.