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. |