Adolescent and Teenage Offenders Confronting the Challenges and Opportunities of Reentry

Abstract

This article examines the challenges of reentry for teenage and youthful offenders. It discusses (a) reentry within a broader “reintegration” paradigm; (b) the mission and purpose of institutional and community corrections, as well as the tensions between them; (c) the intersection of chronological age and legal status; (d) the intersection of chronological age and stages of development; (e) risk and protective factors; and (f) the seven specific domains of reentry: family and living arrangement, peer groups, mental and physical health, education, vocational training and employment, substance abuse, and leisure and avocational interests. Particular attention is given to the need for reentry policies to be developmentally appropriate and age-specific. Finally, the article closes by discussing the implications for reentry policy.