Aftercare as Afterthought: Re-entry and the California Youth Authority

		CENTER ON JUVENILE AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE PRESS RELEASE

		www.cjcj.org

Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, 54 Dore Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

Tel: (415) 621-5661 | Fax: (415) 621-5466

For Immediate Release: Friday October 4, 2002

Aftercare as Afterthought: Re-entry and the California Youth Authority

[Executive Summary] [View PDF]

CONTACT: Daniel Macallair
E-mail: [dmacallair@cjcj.org]
Tel: (415) 621-5661

New report points to inadequate or non-existent aftercare services for youth in the California Youth Authority Program.
Services are predicted to worsen under new budget cuts.
Cost savings to the public through effective aftercare provision totals in millions.
New study presents Innovative programs for the effective re-integration of juvenile justice youth are presented.

SAN FRANCISCO- A study commissioned by the California State Senate and conducted by the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice found that aftercare services for youth discharged from the California Youth Authority are inadequate or non-existent, and is to worsen with recent budget cuts.

Each year, more than 2,000 juvenile offenders are released from the California Youth Authority. Effective aftercare programs for these young people result in the transition to a productive life, while the lack of a support system can result in exponential costs to society that total millions.

Aftercare as Afterthought: Re-Entry and the California Youth Authority is a landmark report which examines the current barriers to effective aftercare services for youth discharged from the California Youth Authority, quantifies the potential costs associated with this gap in services, and expands the channel of communication on promising programs that currently exist in the field. Upon review of the new report carried out by the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, California Senator Richard Polanco stated, "This report serves as a clarion call for a proactive focus on meaningful rehabilitation within California's Juvenile Justice System."

The report will be presented at the California Joint Legislative Committee on Prison Construction and Operations this Monday, October 7th 2002 at the State Office Building, 300 South Spring Street in Los Angeles from 1-5 PM. "Our goal was to develop a tool which the CYA can utilize to help these young people make a successful return to their home communities" said Dan Macallair, Executive Director of Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice. "Our recommendations will be a valuable part of the dialogue on re-entry issues for young Californians in years to come."