Youth with foster care experience are overrepresented in Minnesota’s juvenile and adult legal systems, but justice involvement is not inevitable. This conversation will break down the evidence behind the foster care-to-prison “pipeline,” examine the individual and system-level factors that contribute to risk, and discuss practical, evidence-informed approaches that parents, caregivers, and professionals can use to strengthen protective factors and improve outcomes for youth.

This discussion combines national research with Minnesota data and policy to examine how these issues affect youth in our state.