Youth Reentry Technical Assistance Center
YRTAC supports capacity building efforts among 50+ Second Chance Act Reentry grantees.
Thousands of youth return to communities from detention, state secure care facilities, and adult prisons each year in our country. The reentry outcomes can be as varied as the the youth themselves. Youth justice practitioners believe when reentry planning occurs early during the youth’s confinement and continues upon returning to the community there are better outcomes for the youth.
The Youth Reentry Training and Technical Assistance Center (YRTAC), administered by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), supports capacity building efforts among 50+ Second Chance Act Reentry grantees. The grantees are from over 30 states and are in various stages of their grant cycle. Grantees initially enter the work by completing their planning and implementation guide (P&I) with assistance from their AIR-assigned coach.
Once the P&I Guide is approved by OJJDP, the grantee enters the implementation phase in the life cycle of their grant meeting at least monthly with their coach. Finally the grantee enters the evaluation and sustainability segment of the grant. The coaches remain with the grantees for the life of their grant to bring longstanding capacity to the community, state, organizations to increase the likelihood of positive outcomes for youth reentering the community following involvement in the youth justice system.
YRTAC coaches find ways to connect grantees together, creating a peer network for us to learn, grow, and become sustainable together.
– YRTAC Grantee
Our technical assistance (TA) focuses heavily on best practices in successful reentry of youth and young adults as they reenter the community. We provide individualized TA and co-develop a TA plan with each grantee. The plan is designed as a tool to help guide our TA in supporting the grantee meeting the goals of their grant in a timely manner. Our approach takes research in the field of youth justice reentry and we translate the research into practice.
YRTAC engages our grantees in peer to peer learning activities as well as expose to experts through our partners and subject matter experts. Given our approach to TA, YRTAC delivers events that focus on trauma-informed care, pre-release programming and skill development, post-release aftercare programming, community engagement, positive youth development, recidivism reduction strategies, family engagement, and public safety.
AIR values the unique and valuable perspective of individuals with lived experiences in the youth justice system. A major component of the YRTAC is the selection and employment of two youth reentry fellows. The fellows are full time AIR staff members and are integrated in all aspects of the center’s TA effort. The fellows will also be engaged in thoughtful work with OJJDP.
Second Chance Month Resources
Spotlights
Voices of Reentry: Larry B. and Loussou Wallace
Second Chance Month celebrate the voices of young adults taking advantage of their second chances and the programs that help them successfully return to their communities. To lift up these powerful, first-hand experiences, the Youth Reentry Technical Assistance Center, in partnership with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, sought submissions from young people, families, and youth workers. Read firsthand stories from Larry and Loussou, young people currently striving to take full advantage of their second chance.
OJJDP Director Liz Ryan Visits Second Chance Grantee Site
On March 22, 2024, the administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Liz Ryan, visited Persevere’s EPIC Youth TN (Empowerment, Perseverance, Innovation, and Community in Tennessee) project. This collaborative initiative aims to change the nature of reentry and outcomes for Nashville and Davidson County youth who are reentering their communities after confinement in a juvenile facility through coding courses and navigation of community resources. Check out this press release to learn more about this innovative, OJJDP-funded collaboration between Persevere, the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, the Juvenile Court of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center, collection of service providers and employers.
Reintegration with Resilience: Youth Reentry Spotlight Series
In support of Second Chance Month 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP’s) Youth Reentry Technical Assistance Center (YRTAC) presents the Reintegration With Resilience Youth Reentry Spotlight Series. The series explores a range of challenges faced by youth leaving secure care as they navigate reentry and reintegration, what reentry programs need to know about these challenges, and the critical role reentry programs can play in fostering positive outcomes for the young people whom they serve. Each spotlight brief provides practical tools and other resources to support reentry programs in their vital work.
Download the spotlight briefs individually:
- Supporting Mental and Behavioral Health for Youth Leaving Confinement
- Understanding and Overcoming the Challenges of Juvenile Records
- Helping LGBTQ+ Youth Thrive After Confinement
Podcasts
Each week this month we share a conversation with an inspiring OJJDP grantee and clients from their program to reflect on different aspects of Youth Reentry.
Utah: A Chat with Emma
This week, YRTAC talks with staff from the Utah Division of Juvenile Justice and Youth Services (JJYS) about the programs they have in place to address the needs of transition-aged youth. We are especially pleased for the opportunity to talk with Emma, an impacted youth who has thrived with support from JJYS. JJYS provides a continuum of intervention, supervision, and rehabilitation programs to detained youth while assuring public safety. The Office of Operational Policy and Special Projects provides support to the various areas of programming offered by JJYS. Read the transcript.
AMIkids: A talk with VP of Behavioral Health Amy Bradshaw Hoppock
This week, YRTAC sits down with Amy Bradshaw Hoppock, AMIkids Vice President of Behavioral Health. This discussion focuses on research funded under a Second Chance Act grant award that explores the impact of family engagement on the success of detained youth. We also discuss AMIkids' efforts to achieve a renewable annual funding allocation as a state of Florida budget line item. Read the transcript.
Youth MOVE National: A chat with John and Brittany
This week YRTAC sits down with Youth MOVE representatives John and Brittany to discuss peer support processes. Youth MOVE National envisions a future in which young people are valued as empowered leaders, advocates, and designers of communities built so that all youth have opportunities to thrive. Read the transcript.
Youth for Change: A chat with Sarah and Karen
This week YRTAC sits down with representatives from Youth for Change (YFC), Sarah and Karen, to discuss youth-led reentry planning. YFC is dedicated to enhancing the lives of children, individuals, families, and communities. They are an inclusive, caring, and resilient agency that works from a set of core values that allows for the delivery of trauma informed, culturally sensitive, and client centered services. Read the transcript.
