Sentencing in light of collateral consequences: Does age matter?

The evidence suggests that age plays an important role in decisions to utilize alternative sanctions in the criminal justice system. The youngest and oldest offenders benefit the most, while adults face the harshest consequences and are less likely for consideration of alternative sentencing options. These results hold important policy implications in light of criminogenic trajectories for youthful offenders, systems burdened with aging prisoner populations and theoretical perspectives on age, sentencing and collateral consequences.