Eighteen Behind Walls: When Childhood Ends but Support Should not

Today a young man I love turns eighteen.
No balloons. No door to burst through with a cake. Just a concrete cell and a file that now says adult.

I first shared his story in My Child, ADHD and Public Services through his mother’s eyes, a child whose vibrant mind and restless energy often outpaced a system built for neat boxes and quiet corners. ADHD made every classroom a battlefield of misunderstandings. Early warnings were missed. Services were patchy. Love at home was fierce, but help from the world was fragile.

Now he is legally grown. And in the eyes of the justice system, childhood has officially expired.

But ADHD does not switch off at midnight.

The Cliff-Edge of Eighteen

Across the UK, support for neurodiverse children often stops abruptly at adulthood. Children’s mental-health teams close files. Youth-offender provisions end. Adult services, if they exist are harder to access and slower to respond. For a young person already struggling with impulse control, emotional regulation, and a history of being misunderstood, that gap can feel like falling off a cliff.

ADHS Behind Bars

Research shows that ADHD is significantly over-represented in prisons. Impulsivity and hyperactivity can lead to confrontations with authority, and the sensory overload of incarceration can intensify anxiety and depression. Without tailored treatment, young adults like him risk deeper cycles of discipline instead of rehabilitation.

Questions We all Should Ask:

• Why aren’t we screening and supporting neurodiverse children early, before the courts do?
• How can probation, prison, and community services build ADHD-aware programs?
• Where can families turn when they are still parenting but the law calls their child “grown”?

A Call To Us All 

Churches, schools, mentors, policymakers, we each have a role. Advocate for transition plans that don’t vanish on a birthday. Support local ADHD charities. Write to your MP about neurodiversity training in the justice system. And if you know a family carrying this quiet ache, offer prayer and practical help without judgment.

Tonight I will whisper a prayer through these walls:
Lord, surround every young adult behind bars with Your mercy. Remind them that their worth is not defined by a number or a cell door. Give wisdom to those who hold the keys, teachers, officers, judges, and policy makers, so that justice may also be healing.

Eighteen is not the end of the story.
It is a reminder that love, and our collective responsibility, must stretch beyond childhood, beyond walls, and beyond what the system says is possible.

In a world where the pace of life often feels overwhelming, we are constantly presented with opportunities to either rush through our days or to pause, reflect, and make meaningful connections. As Christians, we are called to live with faith and integrity, not only in our personal relationship with God but also in how we engage with the world around us.