In the decade after high school, young people continue to rely on their families in many ways-sometimes for financial support, sometimes for help with childcare, and sometimes for continued shelter. But what about those young people who confront special difficulties during this period, many of whom can count on little help from their families? "On Your Own Without a Net" documents the special challenges facing seven vulnerable populations during the transition to adulthood: former foster care youth, youth formerly involved in the juvenile justice system, youth in the criminal justice system, runaway and homeless youth, former special education students, young people in the mental health system, and youth with physical disabilities. During adolescence, government programs have been a major part of their lives, yet eligibility for most programs typically ends between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one. This critical volume shows the unfortunate repercussions of this termination of support and points out the issues that must be addressed to improve these young people's chances of becoming successful adults. This book contains the following: (1) Introduction: Why Focus on The Transition to Adulthood for Vulnerable Populations? (D. Wayne Osgood, E. Michael Foster, Constance Flanagan, and Gretchen R. Ruth); (2) The Transition to Adulthood for Youth "Aging Out" of the Foster Care System (Mark E. Courtney and Darcy Hughes Heuring); (3) The Transition to Adulthood for Adolescents in the Juvenile Justice System: A Developmental Perspective (He Len Chung, Michelle Little, and Laurence Steinberg); (4) Policy and Program Perspectives on the Transition to Adulthood for Adolescents in the Juvenile Justice System (David M. Altschuler); (5) Young Adults Reentering the Community from the Criminal Justice System: The Challenge of Becoming an Adult (Christopher Uggen and Sara Wakefield); (6) Prisoner Reentry and the Pathways to Adulthood: Policy Perspectives (Jeremy Travis and Christy A. Visher); (7) Homeless Youth and the Perilous Passage to Adulthood (John Hagan and Bill McCarthy); (8) Transition for Young Adults Who Received Special Education Services as Adolescents: A Time of Challenge and Change (Phyllis Levine and Mary Wagner); (9) Transition Experiences of Young Adults Who Received Special Education Services as Adolescents: A Matter of Policy (Phyllis Levine and Mary Wagner); (10) Risks along the Road to Adulthood: Challenges Faced by Youth with Serious Mental Disorders (J. Heidi Gralinski-Bakker, Stuart T. Hauser, Rebecca L. Billings, and Joseph P. Allen); (11) Coping with Mental Health Problems in Young Adulthood: Diversity of Need and Uniformity of Programs (Phillip M. Lyons, Jr., and Gary B. Melton); (12) Adolescents with Disabilities in Transition to Adulthood (Robert Wm. Blum); (13) Youth with Special Health Care Needs and Disabilities in Transition to Adulthood (Patience Haydock White and Leslie Gallay); and (14) The Transition to Adulthood for Troubled Youth and Families: Common Themes and Future Directions (E. Michael Foster, Constance Flanagan, D. Wayne Osgood, and Gretchen R. Ruth). A foreword by Michael S. Wald and an index are included. (Contains 8 figures and 7 tables.)