There are more than 43,500 juvenile offenders in residential placement across the country. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's (OJJDP's) reentry programs help ensure that youth have the tools to become productive, law-abiding members of society upon their return. OJJDP's Second Chance Act programs provide specialized…

This study examines associations between recidivism rates and groups/programs for legally mandated education, behavioral, and mental health services that court-ordered juvenile youth ("juveniles") with identified emotional disturbance or related conditions receive in secure-care juvenile facilities. Using statewide agency data in…

Reentry, also referred to as transition, is a critical component in preparing at-risk youth in juvenile justice facilities for successful postrelease outcomes. However, successfully preparing these youth for reentry into the community and back to traditional K-12 schools is still difficult for many justice facilities. With the continued calls for…

The Second Chance Act authorizes federal grants for comprehensive reentry planning, direct pre- and postrelease services, and sustainable justice system improvements that promote positive youth and family outcomes, reduce recidivism, and increase public safety. This "In Focus" briefly describes two types of Office of Juvenile Justice and…

Youth served within juvenile justice facilities are to be afforded the same educational benefits as their peers in nonsecure educational settings, including transition supports. Transition supports include the purposeful delivery of strategies and interventions to build a wide variety of skills based on youth interests and preferences regarding…

The Second Chance Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act encourage juvenile justice personnel to collaborate with not-for-profit organizations, employers, and community schools to provide incarcerated girls with disabilities transition support to reenter their community after incarceration. The "Career and College…

The aim of the study was to identify transition planning processes as reported by participants for school-aged youth serving custodial sentences in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, and to establish the extent to which these reflect current evidence or research-based transition practices reported in the literature. The authors used inductive…

Students with disabilities represent a large proportion of the population of juveniles serving sentences in correctional facilities. Transition planning is often neglected during incarceration, which is particularly concerning as youth with disabilities are at increased risk of recidivism. As such, the current systematic review proposes to…

Previously incarcerated youth reintegrating into their communities face many challenges. This study provided visual entry into the lives of three youth through the use of Photovoice methodology. Participants included three males, two Latinos and one White non-Latino, who had successfully been reentered into their communities for at least four…

Youth who have been adjudicated face the unique challenge of transitioning from facility to community while also transitioning from adolescence to adulthood. Although many juvenile justice facilities seek to provide effective transition and aftercare services, researchers have demonstrated high levels of recidivism among formerly incarcerated…

Self-determination refers to a person's ability to have control of their life choices, decisions, and interactions with others. Self-determination skills include: 1) decision-making, 2) goal setting, 3) self-awareness, 4) problem-solving, 5) self-advocacy, 6) self-monitoring, and 7) self-efficacy. Researchers suggest that youth with or at-risk for…

The juvenile justice system, in its origins, was designed to meet the unique needs of youth who committed law violations. The underlying premise is that the rehabilitation of youth would ultimately lead to reintegration into school, community, and the workforce, as well as avoidance of future involvement with the juvenile or adult justice systems.…

National rates of juvenile incarceration show that about 33% of the population in correctional confinement has disabilities such as behavioral disorders or specific learning disabilities. All students identified under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) as having a disability are entitled to special education and…

On a given day, more than 43,000 youths who largely identify as students of color and are disproportionately male are held in residential placement facilities as a result of involvement with the juvenile justice system. More than two-thirds of youths living in placement facilities who participated in a national survey shared aspirations to…

Each year numerous school-aged youth with and without disabilities are arrested and incarcerated. For those youth with disabilities who are ages 16 or older, it is mandated under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that they receive transition planning and services. For those youth who will be transitioning back into a school…