Implementation Phase of Reentry Project for the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice

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. The FY 2014 Second Chance Act Two-Phase Juvenile Reentry Demonstration Program will help ensure that the assessments and services youth receive in secure confinement, reentry planning process, and services and supervision youth receive upon reentry promote reduced recidivism rates and improvements in positive youth outcomes.

The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (GDJJ) anticipates serving 100 medium to high risk youth with this grant. Currently, after a one-year follow-up period, 33.5% of youth released had recidivating events. The two-year recidivism rate is 41% and the three year recidivism rate is 45%. It is the desire of GDJJ to reduce the current recidivism rate by 5%. With public safety being a top priority for Georgia, the Governor and State Legislature have demonstrated their commitment through the passage of Criminal Justice Reform in both the adult and juvenile justice systems. The primary goals of the Georgia Juvenile Reentry Model are to: (1) promote public safety and reduce recidivism through the appropriate implementation of Juvenile Justice Reform, begun by the new Juvenile Code passed and signed during the 2013 Georgia Legislative Session and by the recommendations of the Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform for Georgians; (2) prepare youth and families for transition through a family focused approach that
encourages parental involvement in the youth's placement, growth, and preparation for reentry; and (3) effectively prepare youth for reentry through evidence based programs, educational and
vocational skill advancement, and appropriate medical and behavioral health services that provide them with the tools for reentry.

The GDJJ target goals are to strengthen families, enhance community support for returning youth and build programming capacities to support overarching case management. The GDJJ program design includes providing career services, mental health services and employing national experts that will assist with implementation of evidence based programming (Seven Challenges, Aggression Replacement Training, and Thinking for a Change), data collection, and analysis of the program effectiveness. CA/NCF