San Francisco Juvenile Collaborative Reentry Team Initiative

The Second Chance Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-199) supports a comprehensive response to the increasing number of people who are released from prison, jail, and juvenile facilities each year and are returning to their communities. The Second Chance Act will help juvenile participants released from residential confinement to successfully transition back into society. Section 101 of the Act authorizes grants to state and local governments, territories, and federally recognized Indian tribes that they may use for demonstration projects to promote the safe and successful reintegration of individuals who have been incarcerated into the community.

The San Francisco Juvenile Collaborative Reentry Team (JCRT) will provide coordinated and comprehensive reentry case planning and aftercare services for high-risk youths in out-of-home placement with the goal of reducing recidivism and placement failure by 50% over five years, increasing public safety. The JCRT will include representation by the Juvenile Probation Department (SFJPD), the Public Defender's Office, and the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (community-based aftercare), and will be overseen by a dedicated judge in the Office of Collaborative Justice Programs (Juvenile & Family Programs) of the Superior Court of California. The initiative will serve 100 unduplicated youths per year. The JCRT will incorporate evidence-based practices such as Team Decision Making with youth and their families, risk-need assessment through the Youth Assessment and Screening Instrument, motivational interviewing, coordination by a collaborative court, and individualized case planning coordinated jointly with supervision and aftercare staff and beginning shortly after commitment. All required performance measures will be tracked by the SFJPD in partnership with the Public Defender's Office and community-based providers of aftercare services. CA/NCF