The Impact of Reentry Services on Juvenile Offenders' Recidivism

Abstract

Despite recent decline in juvenile crime, the formal processing and incarceration of juveniles has increased. Many incarcerated juveniles return to their communities with serious risk and need areas unaddressed, complicating their chances for successful reentry. Juvenile aftercare and/or reentry programs have emerged to address these youths' unique needs and the risk they pose to public safety. This study examined preliminary process and outcome indicators of a unique juvenile offender reentry program, including a strong mentoring component, compared to similar youth not receiving reentry services. The authors examined service delivery, as well as intermediate outcome measures and short-term recidivism outcomes, including time to first new offense and number of new official contacts within 6 months of release. Findings demonstrate that the program was delivered as intended, successfully created intermediate change in participants, and was modestly effective in reducing recidivism likelihood and increasing time to recidivism.

Community-Based Juvenile Reentry Services: The Effects of Service Dosage on Juvenile and Adult Recidivism

“…Similarly, Drake and Barnoski's (2006) study concluded that although a mentoring intervention reduced recidivism rates after one year, these differences were not significant in years two and three. Two of these studies (AIM, 2004;Bouffard & Bergseth, 2008) did not specify the source of their recidivism measure (i.e., juvenile vs. adult records) whereas Drake and Barnoski's article (2006) directly stated that they combined juvenile and adult recidivism into one variable.…”

“…Yet other studies of mentoring programs have not replicated these findings. Bouffard and Bergseth's (2008) survival analysis related to a mentoring=case management program found that treatment (n ¼ 63) and control (n ¼ 49) youths differed only slightly in the amount of time that preceded reoffending following their participation in a mentoring program. Other noted influences on recidivism included offense type history and geographic location (Bouffard & Bergseth, 2008).…”

“…Bouffard and Bergseth's (2008) survival analysis related to a mentoring=case management program found that treatment (n ¼ 63) and control (n ¼ 49) youths differed only slightly in the amount of time that preceded reoffending following their participation in a mentoring program. Other noted influences on recidivism included offense type history and geographic location (Bouffard & Bergseth, 2008). Similarly, Drake and Barnoski's (2006) study concluded that although a mentoring intervention reduced recidivism rates after one year, these differences were not significant in years two and three.…”

“…However, empirical investigations of these programs have by and large found little or no reductions in recidivism when comparing program participants with their control or comparison group counterparts (Frederick & Roy, 2003;Wiebush, Wagner, McNulty, & Wang, 2005). Other longitudinal studies have discovered that participation in community-based reentry services such as mental health and mentoring may reduce recidivism (Bullis & Yovanoff, 2002;Aftercare for Indiana Through Mentoring, 2004), but that these effects diminish over time (Bouffard & Bergseth, 2008;Drake & Barnoski, 2006). Given this evidence of fading effects, it is surprising that very few published studies have examined the independent influence of service dosage, or length of participation in a reentry intervention, on recidivism outcomes.…”

Reducing Antisocial Behavior and Promoting Healthy Outcomes for Incarcerated Adolescents

“…Subsequent legal and policy changes aimed at increasing the control of young offenders have contributed to an increase in incarceration rates among adolescents in many states. These and similar policy changes emphasizing greater accountability in the juvenile justice system have also placed considerable strain on finding effective ways to break the cycle of repeat offending found commonly among troubled adolescents [3,4].…”