Indiana Second Chance Juvenile Reentry Project (IN-SCJRP)

The Second Chance Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-199) provides a comprehensive response to the increasing number of people who are released from prison, jail, and juvenile residential facilities and returning to communities. There are currently over 2.3 million individuals serving time in our federal and state prisons, and millions of people cycling through local jails every year. There are approximately 94,000 youth in residential confinement within the juvenile justice system on any given day. Ninety-five percent of all offenders incarcerated today will eventually be released and will return to communities. The Second Chance Act will help ensure the transition individuals make from prison, jail, or juvenile residential facilities to the community is safe and successful.

The Indiana Department of Correction-Division of Youth Services (IDYS) will provide reentry support and services to approximately 141 youth incarcerated in the IDYS facilities that have been assessed by the IDYS Risk Assessment tool as being high risk or very high risk offenders and returning home to Marion County, Indiana. Working in concert with local, federal and other state agencies, this project will implement a juvenile transitional program that, beginning during incarceration, connects those being released to Marion County with needed community-based services including education, employment, family counseling, housing, and provides ongoing intensive monitoring post-release to ensure the success of those connections and assess progress and additional needs.

An existing reentry program for youth and families will be enhanced and expanded by allowing service providers to begin working with the youth in the IDYS facilities and with the family in the home at the time of the youth's commitment with an added mentoring component. Additionally, to address the issue of the higher likelihood of re-arrest in the critical period immediately following release from a facility, the youth would report to the AIM Reentry Academy for the first month after release. While at the Academy, youth will receive intensive support while participating in a series of life-skills and job readiness classes, receive educational, employment, housing assistance and be connected with community-based services. CA/NCF