Youth Perspectives on the Experience of Reentry

Abstract

This article outlines the reentry process of youth who are released from secure confinement experience and describes some contextual factors affecting that experience. Using interviews with young people released from prison, several dimensions are discussed including prior criminal involvement and lifestyles, education, mental health, continuity and change in social relationships, and reentry into different kinds of communities. Specific descriptions of several youth, some with extensive criminal records and some without, are used to highlight the conclusion that traditional methods of determining the success of youth reentry are limited and may obscure important variation in whether and how certain factors, such as criminal records, lead to certain outcomes, such as crime. A discussion of workable approaches to youth reentry is offered, highlighting the need for increased community involvement and aftercare.