Announcement for 07/28/11
National Reentry Resource Center Releases FAQs on Juvenile Justice and Reentry
As many as 100,000 youth under the age of 18 are released from juvenile correctional facilities every year. These young people often return to their communities with complex needs, such as physical and behavioral health issues and barriers to education and employment.
The National Reentry Resource Center, which, like the Consensus Project, is coordinated by the Council of State Governments Justice Center, recently published a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and answers on juvenile justice and reentry. To view the NRRC’s juvenile justice FAQ, click here.
The FAQ provides information on
- the organization of the juvenile justice system and its impact on reentry;
- the characteristics of youth committed to out-of-home placement;
- the challenges many youth face as they return from placement;
- and the policies and practices that are key to successful reentry.
The FAQ is the most recent juvenile reentry resource released by the NRRC and its Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee, which is one of nine advisory committees that help guide the NRRC’s efforts to improve public safety and outcomes for returning individuals. Since 2009, the NRRC’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee has focused on five key areas emerging in youth reentry policy and practice:
- Integrating the science of adolescent brain development into the design of reentry initiatives.
- Ensuring that reentry initiatives build on youths’ strengths and assets to promote pro-social development.
- Engaging families and community members in a meaningful manner throughout the reentry process.
- Prioritizing education and employment as essential elements of a reentry plan.
- Providing a stable, well-supported transition to adulthood that helps to create lifelong connections.
To learn more about each of these five areas, and access resources related to each, click here.
The FAQ is the fifth in a series of FAQs released by the NRRC on a variety of topics related to adult and juvenile reentry; others look at reentry and behavioral health, housing, education and employment, and victims issues. To view the full FAQ series, click here.