Juvenile Reentry 

On any given day, there are more than 43,5001 juvenile offenders in 

residential placement2 across the country. Most of these youth will eventually 

return home and need assistance to do so successfully. The Office of 

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP’s) reentry programs 

help ensure that youth have the tools to become productive, law-abiding 

members of society upon their return. 

Successful reentry reduces recidivism and increases public safety. The 

Second Chance Act authorizes federal grants for reentry services—such 

as employment and housing assistance, substance use treatment, family 

programming, and mentoring—that address common barriers to successful 

reentry.

OJJDP’s Second Chance Act programs provide specialized services to youth 

and promote family engagement between incarcerated parents and their 

children when it is in the best interest of the child. The programs are part of 

the Office’s comprehensive approach to enhance public safety, hold youth 

accountable when they offend, and empower all youth to live up to their full 

potential.

Programs

Second Chance Act: Youth Offender Reentry Program

Through this program, OJJDP funds educational, vocational, and job 

placement services for youth while in confinement and following their 

release. The youth also receive substance abuse treatment, assistance 

locating housing, and help arranging mental and physical healthcare.

Second Chance Act: Addressing the Needs of Incarcerated 

Parents and Their Minor Children

OJJDP supports programs in correctional facilities that encourage family 

engagement between incarcerated parents and their minor children. The 

grants also fund reentry services for parents and programs that support 

positive youth development in children of incarcerated parents.

For More Information

Access more information about OJJDP’s reentry programs at 

https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/programs/reentry.

Funding

Between fiscal years 2017 and 

2019, OJJDP awarded nearly $35 

million to improve outcomes for 

youth who are transitioning back 

to their communities following 

out-of-home placement.

` Fiscal Year 2019—$11.2 million

` Fiscal Year 2018—$13.1 million 

` Fiscal Year 2017—$10.6 million

Caren Harp, Administrator April 2020

From the Field

NCJ 253049

Office of Juvenile Justice and 

Delinquency Prevention

ojjdp.ojp.gov

1

 Sarah Hockenberry. In press. Juveniles in Residential Placement, 2017. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of 

Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

2

 Secure and nonsecure residential placement facilities that house juvenile offenders, defined as persons younger 

than age 21 who are held in a residential setting as a result of some contact with the justice system, i.e., charged 

with or adjudicated for an offense. Facility types include corrections, detention, and therapeutic care.

The Virginia Department of 

Juvenile Justice is transforming 

its reentry programming with help 

from an OJJDP grant.

The department has partnered 

with community colleges 

so youth can pursue higher 

education, and provides youth 

who need it with access to 

transitional housing upon release. 

Staff are also coordinating family 

engagement activities and free 

transportation for families to 

visit youth as a way to increase 

family involvement in the reentry 

process. 

An increased focus on staff 

training and support is beginning 

to reap results. “It’s important 

to change the culture,” says 

Ashaki McNeil, director of the 

department’s Reentry Unit. “If 

you treat the staff right, they treat 

the kids right.”