Students Highly At Risk of Dropping Out:
Returning to School After Incarceration

By Leslie Brock and Natalie Keegan

The Issue

An often overlooked segment of students at risk of dropping out of school is youth who are in transition from juvenile justice facilities back to their local public school system. Title I, Part D of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) recognizes this group; one of the three primary goals of this OESE administered program is to "prevent at-risk youth from dropping out of school, and to provide dropouts and children and youth returning from correctional facilities with a support system to ensure their continued education" - the later being of specific focus in this brief (Section 1432). "One of the most profound challenges facing American society is the reintegration of more than 700,000 individuals - including 200,000 juveniles and young adults under the age of 24” [1].

The magnitude of the youth reentry problem and the challenges associated with it raise profound policy issues. Mears and Travis report that youth reentering society after periods of incarceration frequently have difficulty making successful transitions and avoiding lives of crime. They report that up to two-thirds of youth will be rearrested and up to one-third will be reincarcerated within a few years after release [1,2,3]. They suggest the scope of the problem should be investigated in the social contexts of "reentry" (communities, schools, families, and peer networks) [1] and others go on to suggest that school success - as early as first grade to graduation from high school – is of critical concern [4,5,6]. Studies conducted by Kellam and others over the last four decades have taught us a lot about early risk factors and paths leading to behavioral, mental health, and school problems. Most if not all of their findings are strongly related to academic failure. Academic failure is itself a major risk factor for school dropout, aggression, depression, drug abuse, and other problem outcomes - all of which have been shown to contribute to conduct resulting in incarceration [4,5,6,7], logically making the successful transition of juvenile offenders back into school and supporting their continued education a priority.

Schools play a major role in the transition of young offenders from confinement to life in the community [8]. Schools have the dual responsibility of preventing juvenile crime and developing a responsible citizenry. Stephens and Arnette impart that the public believes that school is the right place for young people to be if they are to stay away from trouble and focus on learning and personal development - that young offenders can best be served in school, where they can obtain academic and social skills that will enable them to become productive members of the community.

The Current Situation

Students returning to school after prison are highly at risk of dropping out of school. Data from the New York City Department of Education indicate that more than two-thirds of high school-age offenders do not return to school upon release [9]. More alarmingly, a study in Kentucky showed a 95 percent dropout rate between release and entering a public school system or transitional educational center [8]. Research on the education of youth in confinement suggests that “effective transitional programs increase the likelihood of reenrollment in school, graduation from high school, and successful employment following school” [8].

Making the transition from juvenile detention and correctional facilities, which are designed to provide a structured environment with continuous supervision and a wide range of services, to the less structured environment of mainstream education settings may be a difficult adjustment. Young offenders transitioning back to school are often still affected by the social and personal influences that contributed to the conduct resulting in incarceration in the first place [8] and they may need an array of support services upon reentry, ranging from counseling and other mental health services to medical services, as well as additional tutoring or other academic supports to help them successfully reintegrate and maintain success. Some of these services may be outside the scope of services provided in the mainstream education system, adding another layer of complexity in planning for and meeting the needs of youth who were recently incarcerated in order to help them successfully transition. One main problem in successfully transitioning youth back into schools is a lack of timely and complete information and documentation sharing between facilities. Planning for services – especially when providers outside the school building are needed – requires collaborations at multiple levels from both the transferring and receiving facilities. Juvenile justice administrators and education professionals alike have attested to the myriad of challenges they face. Common barriers they have shared include: [10]

• Lack of continuity between agencies and educational systems in terms of:
  • Communication
• Policies
• Responsibilities
• Information sharing restrictions
• Treatment plan input
• Weak community/court involvement
• Transition plans typically created at end of stay, rather than at beginning
• Ineffective systems for reenrolling students in school

Stephens and Arnette state that “open lines of communication among all organizations involved with juvenile offenders are necessary to establish a comprehensive treatment approach for offenders and their families” [8]. They then promote information sharing to avoid both lack of services and replication of services, and encourage GED completion and/or employment to improve the chance of successful exit from the justice system and avoidance of recidivating. The bottom line is that schools and juvenile justice administrators must work together to ensure smooth transitions for youth who are returning to mainstream education systems after incarceration.

What Can You Do? Advice From the Field

In 2004, the Legal Aid Justice Center collected data on factors that promote successful reenrollment in school for youth who are delinquent and at risk of not completing school[11]. Of these factors, the most important are 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. Other crucial components include youth and family involvement in developing and executing the transition plan; speedy and appropriate placement in the least restrictive environment possible; and multisystem connections and counseling to address the issues that made it difficult for students to succeed in their original home and school environments.

The Importance of Records Transfer

Effective records transfer is crucial for the continuation of educational services for students highly at risk of dropping out. Many factors are at stake in the transmittal of records from detention facilities to the respective school districts, including the following:

• Inaccurate or delayed placements can exacerbate student and family member frustrations and negative attitudes that already exist, as well as contribute to missed academic opportunities.
• Students who are neglected or delinquent (N or D) commonly have higher rates of learning, behavioral, and emotional disorders, which especially require specialized education plans and proper recordkeeping.
• Records are particularly important to ensure correct supports are in place to facilitate a smooth transition between schools and/or facilities, and minimize common errors such as (a) duplication of services, (b) unnecessary referrals, and/or (c) lack of delivery of necessary services.

The Benefits of Working Together

As mentioned previously, the educational and social service agencies that provide support to students who are delinquent or highly at risk of delinquency reentering society upon release must work together. Efficient records transfer often requires collaborative relationships, communication, and cooperation between and among schools, courts, and agencies. Effective transfer also requires thorough knowledge and understanding of Federal and State legislation affecting privacy and the sharing of student records. (For further information, see NDTAC’s Records Transfer Brief.) In sum, Osher delineates the benefits of schools and facilities working together: [12]

• Service is less fragmented.
• A better response to needs is created through more specialized, appropriate service options.
• Access to services is enhanced.
• The ability to consider the needs of the “whole child and the whole family” within the context of their community is improved.
• Staff come to know their counterparts in other agencies.
• Agencies and schools work together to change or adapt to a situation rather than place blame.
• The focus of service delivery is shifted from the individual service provider to the system as a whole.

Examples of Implementation Procedures Aimed at Improving Successful transitions for Young Offenders [12]

Many States have implemented procedures to improve the incidence of successful transitions; a common factor among them is the formalization of procedures that are understood by all necessary stakeholders. For example:

• In 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 the student’s classroom teacher, parent, or guidance counselor, working together to plan and support the student before and during reintegration.
• In 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 ways to address those problems upon release.
• In Florida: According to Florida law, each school district must have a “cooperative agreement” with the Department of Juvenile Justice 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 then be included in the student’s information upon release from a juvenile justice facility.

Where to Go for More Ideas

(1) NDTAC resources on this Web site.

• Legislation and Interagency Relationships Aid in the Successful Transfer of Student Records
  This brief explains that efficiently obtaining student records often requires collaborative relationships, communication, and cooperation between and among schools, courts, and agencies. It also provides tools necessary for understanding Federal and State legislation affecting privacy and the sharing of student records in order to assure better transitions to schools and other placements for youth who are N or D.
• Records Transfer and Maintenance Module of the Self-Study Toolkit
  This module discusses several issues related to records transfer and provides resources to help measure how your facility is doing in terms of transferring student records.
• At-Risk Portal
  NDTAC ’s At-Risk Portal is home to the Center’s prevention resources devoted to youth defined as at risk. In the Portal you will find reports and briefs that examine various risk factors affecting youth; population data and other statistics; prevention and intervention strategies; resources written by and for NDTAC; and further readings on youth at risk of academic failure.
• Transition, Re-entry, & Aftercare Library page
  This section of NDTAC's Web site houses presentations, research summaries, and and additional related briefs

(2) Programs highlighted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

• Community Prep High School in New York is a transitional school for students not yet ready to enter mainstream high school upon release from incarceration. Services at the school include: rolling admissions, individual counseling, afterschool tutoring, and family involvement. See source [9] for further information and contact details.
• The Arizona-based Success School teaches adolescents who are delinquent empowerment through leadership and community-focused stewardship. Students are then transitioned into mainstream schools upon successful movement through the Success School model. See source [8] for further information and contact details.
• The Franklin Transitional High School in Kentucky opened in 1999 to serve students transitioning from incarceration to society, with the goal of transitioning students to mainstream schools. Franklin has a very high staff-to-student ratio, outsourced family and individual counseling services, and a team of service coordinators for each youth. See source [8] for further information and contact details.

(3) USED’s What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) reports on effective strategies for dropout prevention

The What Works Clearinghouse review of dropout prevention examines secondary school (middle school, junior high school, and high school) as well as community-based interventions designed to help students stay in school and/or complete school. These interventions can include services and activities such as incentives, counseling, monitoring, school restructuring, curriculum design, literacy support, or community-based services to mitigate factors impeding progress in school. They can operate in a public or private school setting, postsecondary institutions, or in a community facility such as a youth center or community-based organization.

The WWC currently has reviewed studies on the five dropout prevention interventions. Follow the links below to learn more about the program and access the full WWC intervention report.

ALAS (Achievement for Latinos through Academic Success)

Career Academies

Check & Connect

Financial Incentives for Teen Parents to Stay in School

Talent Search

WWC Intervention Reports provide all findings that "Meet Evidence Standards" or "Meet Evidence Standards with Reservations" for studies on a particular intervention. Intervention reports are created for those interventions that have at least one study that "Meets Evidence Standards" or "Meets Evidence Standards with Reservations." Intervention reports are one component of the decision-making process, but should not be the sole source of information when making educational decisions.

Sources

 

[1] Mears, D. P., & Travis, J. (2004). The dimensions, pathways, and consequences of youth reentry (Youth Reentry Roundtable Series, as published in Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 2(1)). Washington, DC: The Urban Institute. Available at http://www.urban.org/publications/410927.html

[2] Krisberg, B., & Howell, J. C. (1998). The impact of the juvenile justice system and prospects for graduated sanctions in a comprehensive strategy. In R. Loeber & D. P. Farrington (Eds.), Serious and violent juvenile offenders: Risk factors and successful interventions (pp. 346–366). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

[3] Bureau of Data and Research. (1999). National comparisons from State recidivism studies. Tallahassee, FL: Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.

[4] Wasserman, G. A., Keenan, K., Tremblay, R. E., Coie, J. D., Herrenkohl, T. I., Loeber, R., & Petechuk, D. (2003). Risk and protective factors of child delinquency (OJJDP Child Delinquency Bulletin Series, NCJ 193409). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

[5] Kellam, S. G., & Rebok, G. W. (1992). Building etiological theory through developmental epidemiologically based preventive intervention trials. In J. McCord & R. E. Tremblay (Eds.), Preventing antisocial behavior: Interventions from birth through adolescence (pp. 162–195). New York: Guilford Press.

[6] Keenan, K., Loeber, R., Zhang, Q., Stouthamer-Loeber, M., & Van Kammen, W. B. The influence of deviant peers on the development of boys’ disruptive and delinquent behavior: A temporal analysis. Development and Psychopathology, 7, 715–726.

[7] Gottfredson, D. C., & Barton, W. H. (1993). Deinstitutionalization of juvenile offenders. Criminology, 31(4), 591–611.

[8] Roy-Stevens, C. (2004). Overcoming barriers to school reentry (OJJDP Fact Sheet No. FS-200403). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

[9] Stephens, R. D., & Arnette, J. L. (2000). From the courthouse to the schoolhouse: Making successful transitions (OJJDP Juvenile Justice Bulletin, NCJ 178900). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

[10] Keely, J. (2004, October). Transition congruency: Pennsylvania juvenile correctional education. Presented at the NDTAC Fourth Regional Transition Conference, Washington, DC.

[11] JustChildren Program, Legal Aid Justice Center. (2004). A summary of best practice in school reentry for incarcerated youth returning home. Charlottesville, VA: Author.

[12] Osher, D., for Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice. (2002, October). Effective collaboration for serious violent offender reentry. Presented at the OJJDP Conference on Serious Violent Offender Reentry, Washington, DC.

 

Published 1-25-07

 

NDTAC Resources:
» At-Risk Portal

» Legislation and Interagency Relationships Aid in the Successful Transfer of Student Records

 

Sign up for NDTAC's e-mail list! You'll receive event and product announcements as well as timely information from NDTAC and the U.S. Department of Education. In addition, this listserv provides you with a forum to share with and request information from other professionals in the field about issues related to the education of youth who are neglected, delinquent, or at-risk.