Background: Uganda faces a critical crisis of youth overrepresentation in its prison system, with individuals aged 18-30 accounting for over 60% of the incarcerated population despite comprising a smaller proportion of those statistically expected to engage in serious crime. This overrepresentation reflects systemic failures across education, employment, social welfare, and justice administration sectors, with severe consequences for individual development, family stability, community cohesion, and national productivity. Objective: This study analyzed the factors contributing to youth overrepresentation in Ugandan prisons, assessed the effectiveness of existing interventions, and developed evidence-based recommendations for a multisectoral approach to reducing youth incarceration through prevention, rehabilitation, and successful reintegration. Methods: A mixed-methods research design was employed, collecting primary data from 385 young offenders aged 18-30 across five major Ugandan prisons (Luzira, Kitalya, Mbarara, Gulu, and Jinja) through structured questionnaires, along with qualitative data from 45 key informants including prison officials, judicial officers, and civil society representatives through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Secondary data were obtained from Uganda Prison Service records, Ministry of Justice databases, and organizational reports covering 2019- 2024. Statistical analysis using STATA version 17 included univariate analysis of demographic and criminal justice characteristics, bivariate analysis examining associations between incarceration and socioeconomic variables using chi-square and t-tests, and multivariable logistic regression identifying independent predictors while controlling for confounders. Results: Bivariate analysis demonstrated statistically significant associations (p