Translating research into practice: Designing effective reentry services for adolescent offenders

Abstract

Abstract This article introduces the model design of a specialized juvenile reentry program that resulted in reducing recidivism to less than half the recidivism rate of those in the control group. The reentry program and evaluation was funded by the Second Chance Act and has been identified as a promising practice in reentry planning. The reentry project was a collaborative, region-wide effort involving juvenile justice administrators, law enforcement officials, treatment providers, and other community support partners. The intensity and type of reentry services provided were determined by the results of standard risk assessment and were delivered based upon a prescribed, dosage-based schema. Best practices in reentry planning are identified and the manner in which current best practices informed the model design is illustrated throughout the article. The article is intended for information dissemination and potential project replication.