Iowa's Comprehensive Juvenile Reentry System Strategic Plan

The Second Chance Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-199) provides a comprehensive response to the increasing number of incarcerated adults and juveniles who are released from prison, jail, and juvenile residential facilities and are returning to their communities. Developing a juvenile reentry system that reduces recidivism and improves positive youth outcomes is extremely challenging for even the most sophisticated state or local juvenile correctional agency. This program will provide funding for 12-month planning grants during which time state or local-level juvenile justice agencies will convene a reentry task force and develop and finalize a comprehensive statewide juvenile reentry systems reform strategic plan. This plan will guide efforts to reduce the historical baseline recidivism rates for youth returning from confinement in state or locally run and/or managed juvenile correctional facilities. The plan will also guide efforts to reform the system to include: (1) improved assessment policies and practices, (2) a more integrated approach to prerelease services and planning and post-release services and supervision that reflects what research demonstrates improves youth outcomes, and (3) enhanced program/policy monitoring, quality assessments, implementation supports, accountability practices, and youth outcome data collection, analysis, reporting, and decision-making. When grantees complete their strategic plan, OJJDP will invite them to submit applications for implementation grants of between $1 and $2 million to implement their plans. Future funding decisions for implementation grants will be competitive and will consider the quality and comprehensiveness of the strategic plan and associated solicitation deliverables.

The goal of the Iowa Department of Criminal and Justice Planning Agency project is to reduce recidivism and increase public safety by developing this comprehensive juvenile reentry system for the toughest group of juvenile offenders. In order to accomplish this goal, a multi-system coordinated approach is required. A reentry task force will be formed by utilizing an existing multi-system council - the Iowa Collaboration for Youth Development (ICYD) Council. Additional stakeholders will be added to an ICYD subcommittee to focus on developing the strategic plan. The Juvenile Reentry System Task Force (JRSTF) will focus on identifying barriers the youth encounter at reentry and research effective services and supports. The JRSTF will use the Reintegration Continuum model to design the juvenile reentry system, which begins at the time of admission to an out-of-home placement and continues beyond the youths release and reintegration into the community. This reentry continuum consists of three overlapping phases: 1) in facility, 2) the transition out of facility and into community, and 3) in community. The three phases overlap, and each requires its own set of components to work effectively. In addition, the Overarching Case Management (OCM) approach will provide a guide for the programmatic functions developed for delinquent youth. Key components in the community include graduated sanctions and incentives, realistic and enforceable post-release conditions, and links to community resources and non-correctional youth-serving systems, such as education, child welfare, employment, housing, behavioral health, and physical health services. CA/NCF