Second Chance Act Outcomes Improvement

Section 101 of the Second Chance Act authorizes the Department of Justice to award grants to states to improve reentry outcomes for incarcerated youth. This program will provide grants to support the implementation of an existing statewide plan to better align juvenile justice policy, practice, and resource allocation with what research shows works to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes for youth in contact with the juvenile justice system. This program is authorized pursuant to Section 101 of the Second Chance Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3797w; Pub. L. No. 110-199.

The primary intent of the Georgia Strategic Planning Reentry Model is to provide a continuum of services to youth when they reenter the community by partnering with community based organizations that provide core services. The Youth Offender Reentry Framework Strategic Plan was established in evidence-based case management practices and developed by a strategic planning workgroup comprised of all divisions within the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice and juvenile justice consultants. Facility stakeholders will participate in the intake and orientation phase of reentry, and track transitional plans to ensure continuity in communication and collaboration throughout the youth’s placement. The Youth Centered Reentry Team (YCRT) composed of representatives from education, mental health, health, reentry specialist and treatment will be responsible for communicating with the youth, parents and participating in transition team meetings with the youth. Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice reentry model is a three phase framework centered on collaboration among multiple agencies. Services will focus in the following areas: (1) the integration of residential and community aftercare services; (2) case management including assessment and classification of risks, needs and strengths, matching services with needs, family engagement planning and monitoring readiness for release, graduated responses, release conditions; (3) assessment of staff competencies and training needs; (4) data monitoring and quality assurance to ensure fidelity to the reentry model; (5) benchmarks to establish decision points for restructuring transition practices to increase reentry success rates and encourage systemic reentry reform.

CA/NCF