NCJ Number
241657
Date Published
February 2013
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This report presents an assessment of early implementation experiences for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's tribal green reentry programs.
Abstract
This report presents the results of an evaluation of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's (OJJDP's) tribal green reentry programs. In 2009, three American Indian tribes received grants as part of OJJDP's Tribal Juvenile Detention and Reentry Green Demonstration program. The tribes received funding for up to 4 years to achieve the following goals: provide services to help detained and reentering youth successfully reintegrate into the community; support the development of partnerships to help tribes implement green technologies and environmentally sustainable activities; and support each tribes' ability to implement, monitor, and maintain tribal juvenile detention standards. The evaluation found that the Green Reentry programs offer a natural framework that enables tribal youth to reconnect with their traditional tribal culture. This reconnection has many benefits not only for the youth, but for other members of the tribe and for the tribe as a whole. The evaluation also found that while all three tribes were successful in developing partnerships necessary to design and implement their programs, some difficulties in managing the partnerships were reported. These difficulties included trouble developing a diverse set of partners to understand the nature of the Green Reentry programs, and lack of consistent participation by various tribal departments required as part of the Green Reentry programs. The three sites also reported difficulties in managing the security needed for detained youth who participated in program activities. Additional evaluations will be conducted as the programs enter their final year of funding.