NCJ Number
218590
Date Published
2004
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This bulletin spotlights the efforts of three jurisdictions representing the States of Indiana, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania that sought to improve outcomes for juvenile offenders returning to the community after completing a period of court-ordered placement.
Abstract
Allegheny County, PA has the longest established court-run reentry program under review. Aftercare is delivered through existing day treatment reporting programs which provide structure, support, and supervision to juveniles exiting placement. The West Virginia Division of Juvenile Services Reentry Court Program, the Nation’s first juvenile reentry court, is a State-local partnership providing enhanced supervision and case management to returning “high-risk” juveniles. The Reentry Initiative in Marion County, IN began operating in 2003 and is located in an urban setting. It provides juvenile aftercare primarily through court-run structured day treatment programs. This brief review of ongoing reentry programs suggests that juvenile courts and probation departments are capable of playing a much more useful and active role in juvenile reintegration efforts than they have in the past. These three jurisdictions have taken the lead in the juvenile reentry effort. Two have established “reentry courts” and the third provides juvenile aftercare through court-run structured day treatment programs. This bulletin focuses on the above three jurisdictions in which local juvenile courts and probation departments are taking the lead in the juvenile reentry effort. 12 notes