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Aftercare as Afterthought: Reentry and the California Youth Authority

NCJ Number
207534
Author(s)
Michele Byrnes; Daniel Macallair; Andrea D. Shorter
Date Published
August 2002
Length
59 pages
Annotation
This report presents findings and recommendations from an assessment of the status of the California Youth Authority's (CYA's) parolee reintegration.
Abstract
The research included a review of relevant literature, interviews, and site visits. To identify model programs in juvenile aftercare, a national search of model transition and aftercare programs for juvenile offenders was conducted. The following barriers to successful reentry have been identified by researchers, parole agents, service providers, researchers, and former wards: lack of educational and housing options; limited skills and education; gang affiliations and attendant racial tensions; institutional identity; substance abuse problems; mental health problems; lack of community supports and role models; and legislative barriers that limit access to education, cash assistance, and public housing. Reentry experts have identified the following minimum "successful" outcomes for reentry: no rearrests since release, no recommitment for a parole violation, and attending school and/or maintaining employment. Based on these goals this report offers recommendations for reforming and improving the CYA's reentry process for juveniles. The eight recommendations include implementing the case-management continuum-of-care model proven effective in Missouri; creating a pilot program that uses contract arrangement for institutional program services; creating additional community-based treatment and supervision slots for CYA wards; expanding community corrections sanctions, such as community service, restitution, and halfway houses; the creation of educational alternatives; the expansion of gender-specific services; and the replication of model programs. 86-item bibliography and appended parole statistics