This toolkit, Reentry Starts Here: A Guide for Youth in Long-Term Juvenile Corrections and Treatment Programs, was developed as a resource to help young people in juvenile corrections and treatment programs prepare for reentry and success in the community.
According to OJJDP’s Statistical Briefing Book, each year there are more than 48,043 youth in placement on any given day. Each of you will eventually be released back into the community and will have an opportunity to move forward with your lives in a positive direction.
The purpose of this guide is to encourage you to begin thinking and planning for success at the earliest point possible while in placement. As such, the guide is organized into two sections: (1) planning for reentry while in placement and (2) successful reentry into your community.
The resources provided in this guide speak to common barriers that you may experience upon reentry; they include action steps you can take to address those barriers with the help of a caring adult. Each day is an opportunity to take a step in the right direction, and I hope that you find this guide useful in determining where to begin and how to succeed on the path to achieving your life’s goals.