Hello twhiteson,
you said
"One can name numerous of former child actors who did transition into adult roles and didn't become criminal statistics: Elizabeth Taylor, Roddy McDowell, Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Richard Thomas, Jodie Foster, Ron Howard, Henry Thomas, Ellen Page, Joseph Mazzello, Kirsten Dunst, Christina Ricci, Ryan Reynolds, Ryan Gosling, and even Drew Barrymore along with a host of others."

• Perfectly true, and let me just add one more to your list: Ricky Schroder! With or without the letter "y", Rick/y always led a completely trouble-free life (at least as far as I know); I wonder what Joey Cramer missed but Rick Schroder did have when both were in need of it? I guess the most important thing that child actors need when their time as such comes to an end is support and understanding from their family, friends, etc. so then there is no "black hole of oblivion" to fall in; which means there is no need to compensate the inner emptiness by alcohol, drugs, etc.
  I wish life had worked for Joey that way.
  Kind regards
  sprendlinger

"Oh, yeah. Who played your daughter on the short-lived sitcom
President Clown
?"
"I don't know her name, but she held-up a liquor store last year."
It's been a while since a former child-actor made headlines for committing a felony. Back in the late 80's and early 90's, it seemed almost every week a forme16d0r child actor was being arrested for something with the "Diff'rent Strokes" posse leading the way. (An early 90's Saturday Night Live skit on the phenomenon had Michael J. Fox playing Danny Bonaduce as the leader of criminal syndicate of former child actors.)
It would be easy to dismiss Hollywood as ruthless on former child actors, but when one thinks that Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale, both former child actors, are currently among the two biggest stars in the world then it's not exactly true. One can name numerous of former child actors who did transition into adult roles and didn't become criminal statistics: Elizabeth Taylor, Roddy McDowell, Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Richard Thomas, Jodie Foster, Ron Howard, Henry Thomas, Ellen Page, Joseph Mazzello, Kirsten Dunst, Christina Ricci, Ryan Reynolds, Ryan Gosling, and even Drew Barrymore along with a host of others. Many of them have been such successes as adult actors that we forget about their work as child/teen actors.
It is a false stereotype that former child actors are doomed to fall into a life of obscurity, drugs, and crime, but still stories like this one certainly reinforce the stereotype.

Sad to see what he is doing with his life since his career ended!

http://www.theprovince.com/news/former+1980s+child+actor+charged+sechelt+bank+robbery/11896206/story.html

Joey Cramer who will next be starring in Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Criminals NEVER GOTTA DINNER!
I've been chasing grace/ But grace ain't easy to find

Joey Cramer who tried and failed to take the money and run NEVER GOTTA DINNER!
I've been chasing grace/ But grace ain't easy to find