Youth Reentry Training and Technical Assistance Center
YRTTAC 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 youth themselves. Youth justice practitioners believe when reentry planning occurs early during a 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 (YRTTAC), 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 with assistance from their AIR-assigned coach.
Once OJJDP approves the planning and implementation guide, grantees enter the implementation phase in the life cycle of their grants, meeting at least monthly with their coach. Finally, grantees enter the evaluation and sustainability phase of the grant. Coaches remain with grantees for the life of their grant to bring longstanding capacity to the community, state, and organizations to increase the likelihood of positive outcomes for youth reentering the community following involvement in the youth justice system.
YRTTAC coaches find ways to connect grantees together, creating a peer network for us to learn, grow, and become sustainable together.
– YRTTAC 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 codevelop a TA plan with each grantee. The plan is designed as a tool to help guide our TA in supporting grantees in meeting the goals of their grants in a timely manner. Our approach takes research into the field of youth justice reentry, and we translate the research into practice.
YRTTAC engages our grantees in peer-to-peer learning activities and exposure to experts through our partners and subject-matter experts. Given our approach to TA, YRTTAC 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 YRTTAC is the selection and employment of three youth reentry fellows. The fellows are full-time AIR staff members who are integrated in all aspects of the center’s TA effort. The fellows are also engaged in thoughtful work with OJJDP.
Second Chance Month Resources
Spotlights | Webinars | Podcasts
Spotlights
OJJDP Director Liz Ryan Visits Straight Ahead Ministries
On April 12, 2024, OJJDP Administrator Liz Ryan visited Straight Ahead Ministries in Massachusetts. Straight Ahead Ministries offers a variety of services for young people as they leave the juvenile justice system and transition back into their communities. The goals of the Straight Ahead Ministries Massachusetts Youth Reentry Project, funded through OJJDP Second Chance Youth Reentry Program grant, are to significantly reduce recidivism among youth released from juvenile facilities and provide the resources and services critical to successful reentry in three of five regions of Massachusetts, where large numbers of youth return.
During the site visit, Ryan and three young people recorded an episode of Straight Ahead’s “Every Youth, Every Facility” podcast. The podcast is in its fourth season and has recorded more than 20 episodes. Each episode features a young person who has experienced the juvenile justice system or incarceration.
Voices of Reentry: Larry B. and Loussou Wallace
Second Chance Month celebrates 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 Training and 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 chances.
OJJDP Director Liz Ryan Visits EPIC Youth Tennessee
On March 22, 2024, OJJDP Administrator 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.
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 Training and Technical Assistance Center (YRTTAC) presents the Reintegration With Resilience Youth Reentry Spotlight Series. The series explores a range of challenges youth face 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:
- Supporting Mental and Behavioral Health for Youth Leaving Confinement
- Understanding and Overcoming the Challenges of Juvenile Records
- Helping LGBTQ+ Youth Thrive After Confinement
Webinars
YRTTAC Partner CJJA leads Second Chance Month Webinar
For Second Chance Month 2024, YRTTAC partner, the Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators, with the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), conducted a webinar focused on Championing Equity and Opportunity in Secure Care: Building a Brighter Future for All Youth. The Rhode Island DCYF champions Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Culturally Linguistically Competent practices to ensure all youth feel valued, supported, and represented throughout their journey in secure care.
The speakers highlighted the following equity principles found in their supports and services:
- Culturally Responsive Services: Created tailored programs and interventions taking into accounted each youth's unique background and experiences.
- Racial Equity Efforts: Established a department-wide initiative to identify and dismantle racial bias within the system, ensuring all youth receive fair and equitable treatment.
- Inclusive Environments: Cultivated a safe and welcoming space that celebrates all cultures and identities, including a diverse workforce representative of our population.
- Community Partnerships: Collaborated with community organizations to provide culturally relevant resources and support networks.
- Equitable Reintegration: The care provided in the DCYF extends beyond secure care. We champion successful transitions back home through community supervision services that prioritize equity.
The programming of DCYF works to equip youth with valuable soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving, to enhance their workforce readiness and promote successful reintegration to the community. (View the transcript.)
Podcasts
Second Chances by We're Still Standing
During an April 12, 2024, site visit to Straight Ahead Ministries in Massachusetts, OJJDP Administrator Liz Ryan and three young people recorded an episode of Straight Ahead’s “Every Youth, Every Facility” podcast. The podcast is in its fourth season and has recorded more than 20 episodes. Each episode features a young person who has experienced the juvenile justice system or incarceration. Learn more about Ryan’s visit to Straight Ahead Ministries.
Utah: A Chat with Emma
In this podcast, YRTTAC talks with staff from the Utah Division of Juvenile Justice and Youth Services (JJYS) about the programs it has 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 programming offered by JJYS. Read the transcript.
AMIkids: A talk with VP of Behavioral Health Amy Bradshaw Hoppock
In this podcast, YRTTAC sits down with Amy Bradshaw Hoppock, AMIkids Vice President of Behavioral Health. This discussion focuses on research funded under a Second Chance Act grant 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
In this podcast, YRTTAC 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
In this podcast, YRTTAC 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. It is 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.
