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Keywords: offender, reentry, adolescent, recidivism, Second Chance Act
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of specialized reentry services compared to basic reentry services (i.e., treatment as usual). To do this, 117 male juvenile offenders receiving specialized reentry services through Second Chance Act Juvenile Reentry funding were compared to 156 male juvenile offenders receiving treatment as usual reentry services. The 273 participating youth ranged in age from 13 to 18 years at admission and were placed in a secure residential facility due to the severity and/or chronicity of their crimes that included crimes against persons, sexual offenses and property crimes. Specialized reentry services provided to the participants consisted of standardized assessment of substance abuse and functional ability, as well as individualized case management for prescribing dosages of reentry services to address each identified treatment need. Frequency analyses were used to examine recidivism rates between the groups at 2-year followup, and logistic regression with stepwise and backward variable selection methods was used to assess the predictive value of treatment type and offense type on recidivism. Control group participants recidivated at more than double the rate of those who received specialized reentry services. Nonsexual offenders were more than six times more likely than sex offenders to recidivate.
Introduction
Being able to successfully treat adolescent offenders continues to present a challenge to the juvenile justice system, especially the most serious offenders. To address this issue and to promote more successful transitions to society following incarceration, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) prioritized development of comprehensive reentry programming more than thirty years ago. Since then, increased attention has been given to reentry services and their role in the long-term success of juvenile justice programming. As a result, basic reentry services have become standard protocol for many juvenile justice systems. However, the scope and intensity of these services have varied greatly between providers and between systems.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of specialized reentry services. To accomplish this, a group of adolescents who received treatment as usual reentry services was matched with a group of adolescents who received specialized reentry services. Both groups were incarcerated in the same facility, and thus, both received the same cognitive...