The Effective Management of Juvenile Sex Offenders in the Community Section 6: Reentry

Section 62 Goals Examine three challenges related to juvenile sex offender reentry and aftercare Over-reliance on the most secure placements Insufficient reentry and aftercare planning Fragmentation across the system Clarify how these challenges can be addressed

Section 63 Over-Reliance on the Most Secure Placements

Section 64 National Statistics: Placement More than 100,000 youthful offenders in placement released each year Increase of more than 40% from

Section 65 National Statistics: Placement (Continued) % decrease % decrease 36 states

Section 66 Placement of Juvenile Sex Offenders While over time numbers have decreased, juvenile sex offenders in placement have increased % rise 2003 Approximately 8% (8,000) were sex offenders

Section 67 Placement of Juvenile Sex Offenders (Continued) Most (72%) of the nation’s specialized treatment programs are community- based 28% are in residential or institutional facilities But about ½ of juvenile sex offenders were treated in residential or institutional programs

Section 68 Tendency to Over-Rely on Residential and Institutional Placements Not all youth will benefit No strong evidence to suggest that placements result in substantial reductions in recidivism Interventions in a youth’s natural environment are more likely to result in positive outcomes Not all juvenile sex offenders in residential or institutional facilities need to be there

Section 69 Insufficient Reentry and Aftercare Planning

Section 610 Getting In Is Easy, Getting Out Is Difficult Compared to most other types of youthful offenders, juvenile sex offenders spend more time in placement One reason is a lack of or insufficient reentry and aftercare planning Tendency to assume that “more” is better

Section 611 Consequences Prolonged detachment from positive community supports and productive involvement in prosocial activities exacerbates reentry challenges Potential negative outcomes when delinquent youth are placed together for the purpose of intervention Maxing out with no aftercare programming or community supervision Movement to “low” level of supervision or care, with no gradual reduction in aftercare services and support Prevent early identification of needs and barriers

Section 612 Fragmentation Across the System

Section 613 Design of the System Establishes a residential or institutional dimension and a community dimension that can be mutually exclusive “In” or “out” Consider Treatment providers “in” and “out” Institutional or residential caseworkers or managers “in” and juvenile parole officers “out”

Section 614 Potential Solutions

Section 615 Reasons for Over-Reliance High stakes Insufficient assessment data Limited specialized management capacity Lack of confidence in existing community resources Negative community sentiment

Section 616 Strategies to Reduce Over-Reliance Assessment-driven decisionmaking at the point of disposition or sentencing Building community capacity Raising awareness and increasing confidence through specialized training and education Juvenile and family court judges and prosecutors The community

Section 617 Insufficient Planning Planning for reentry at the point of entry Start at intake! Early assessment is key Anticipate needs that youth and the family have that may hinder reentry and aftercare efforts

Section 618 Key Questions to be Answered What issues, concerns, and barriers need to be addressed at some point during the reentry and aftercare process? When must these be addressed? In the facility before release? When the youth is in the community? Or in both? Who will address them?

Section 619 Elements of a Comprehensive Reentry and Aftercare Plan Specialized treatment needs Mental health problems Healthcare concerns Family issues

Section 620 Family Reunification Challenges Limited placement options Requests from family members Concerns raised by victim advocates and service providers Expectations of child welfare and social service agencies, and juvenile and family courts Large caseloads Limited long-term influence of involved agencies and the courts

Section 621 Key Elements of Reunification Victim safety Early initiation of process Gradual and deliberate Out of home placement Treatment interventions Readiness assessments Supervised contacts in clinical settings Clarification Supervised contacts in natural environments Transition to family supervision Return home Flexible and responsive Collaboration

Section 622 Promoting Early Involvement of Families Approach parents and caregivers as partners whose input is valued Identify common ground and common goals Make family therapy an expectation rather than an easy “option” to decline Plan to incorporate therapeutic activities or assignments into visitation time Create “after hours” parenting skills classes, and education and support groups Plan to offer transportation

Section 623 Elements of a Comprehensive Reentry and Aftercare Plan Educational needs Vocational needs Life and independent living skills Community supervision strategies Community hostility concerns

Section 624 Importance of Continuity of Programming and Services Staff “in” and “out” must work together to ensure continuity of care Services provided should anticipate interventions that are to come or build upon previous programs Avoiding delays is critical Schedule appointments in the community prior to release

Section 625 Utilizing the Whole Continuum Planning early to avoid “all or nothing” Ideally, jurisdictions have a range of Community-based options Specialized supervision Non-residential programs Alternative living Day treatment Outpatient services Residential and institutional programming Group homes Halfway houses Transition or step-down

Section 626 Responding when Problems Arise Increasing supervision intensity Imposing a sanction that is treatment- based Requiring a temporary return to a residential or institutional placement

Section 627 Critical Factors to Consider Seriousness of behavior Risk level Degree to which community safety was jeopardized Juvenile’s disclosure Level of responsibility assumed by youth Awareness and disclosure of behavior by parents, caregivers, other community support network members Ability of parents/caregivers to provide structure and support Presence of other assets or services to assist juvenile to maintain compliance

Section 628 Fragmentation Across the System Importance of collaboration Inside Outside “In” to “Out”

Section 629 Conclusion To address over-reliance on the most secure placements Specialized and comprehensive PSIs and PDRs, and psychosexual evaluations Build community management capacity Provide specialized training Work proactively with the community Think about “reentry at the point of entry” and initiate transition and aftercare planning at intake Focus on youth, family, and other “environmental” considerations “In” to “out” requires collaboration!

Section 630 Intensive Aftercare Program Model Individualized case planning Continuity of care Collaboration Formal transition structures Small caseloads Balance Supervision and control mechanisms Range of programming Graduated rewards and sanctions