A Summary of Best Practice in School Reentry for Incarcerated Youth Returning Home

By: JustChildren, Legal Aid Justice Center

Summary by Regina Waugh

In September 2002, the Commonwealth of Virginia Board of Education commissioned the JustChildren, Legal Aid Justice Center to produce a report detailing innovative practices around the country for reenrolling students from locked facilities into the mainstream school system. This report summarizes the initial findings from that investigation and highlights not only innovative practices in a variety of States, but also important findings in the literature. View the full report (PDF).

Utilizing data from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), the American Bar Association, and a variety of other experts in the field, the authors compiled a list of important factors in successful reenrollment in school for delinquent and at-risk youths. These include:

• Clearly defined roles and responsibilities for each of the individuals and agencies (juvenile justice, school/district, mental health, court) responsible for successfully transitioning a student back into the regular school environment. Such responsibilities may include: the sharing of information between facilities, agencies, and schools; monitoring the provision of services; and coordinating curriculum between educational placements.
• Youth and family involvement, ensuring that the student and their guardians are involved in the process of developing and executing the transition plan.
• Speedy placement and appropriate placement in the least restrictive environment possible, with consideration given to the individual needs of each student.
• Multisystem connections and counseling to address some of the issues that made it difficult for students to succeed in their original home and school environments.

The authors also highlight current practices for transitioning students back to school in place in California, Florida, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Washington, West Virginia, and New York City. While these States and city are doing a variety of things to improve the chances for successful student transitions, a common factor among them all was the formalization of programs and procedures understood by all the necessary stakeholders. Examples of these systems include:

• Maine: State law provides for “reintegration teams” to be established within 10 days of learning about the reenrollment of a student from a correctional facility. These teams consist of the school’s administrator and either the student’s classroom teacher, parent, or guidance counselor, and are responsible for reintegration planning for the student. See Title 20-A, Section 1055 of Maine Revised Statutes.
• West Virginia: State law requires that each student must have a plan in place for reentry and reintegration into the community within 45 days of his or her release from a secure care placement. The plan must contain: a detailed description of the education and services received by the student while in custody; a proposal for education and treatment for the student once released; and a description of any problems the student is facing and way to address those problems upon release. See Section 49-5-20 of West Virginia Code.
• Florida: According to Florida law, each school district must have a “cooperative agreement” with the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) that includes plans for transitioning students into and out of juvenile justice facilities. This includes maintaining an academic record for each student while he or she is incarcerated, which can be included in the student’s information upon release from a juvenile justice facility. See Rule: 6A-6.05281 of Florida Administrative Code.

JustChildren, Legal Aid Justice Center. (2004). A summary of best practice in school reentry for incarcerated youth returning home. Charlottesville, VA: Author. View the full report (PDF).

Read an OJJDP Fact Sheet about Overcoming Barriers to School Reentry.

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