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Youth involved with the child welfare system (CWS) are entering the juvenile legal system (JLS) at rates higher than their peers, and Black, Indigenous, and Youth of Color (BIYOC) represent a disproportionate percentage of youth with dual child welfare and JLS involvement. Scholarship on dual-involvement focuses on youth demographics and their experiences within the CWS and JLS. However, less attention has been paid to dually-involved youths’ experiences as they navigate reentering their communities from the JLS. This study employs semi-structured interviews (N=32) and thematic analysis to understand the subjective reentry experiences of BIYOC; the barriers they face during the reentry process; and their plans and goals for the future beyond incarceration.
Methods
In depth, semi-structured interviews (N=32; N=22 male and N=10 female) were conducted with dually-involved BIYOC in Massachusetts between July and October 2021. The average participant age was 19 years old. Interviews averaged 54 minutes and were conducted both in-person and virtually via Zoom or phone. Interview topics included BIYOC’s self-narratives in the CWS and JLS; reentry planning processes and barriers during reentry; and BIYOC’s future hopes and aspirations beyond system-involvement. Transcripts were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. An initial codebook was formed based on a small number of transcripts, refined into a focused codebook, then applied to all 32 interviews. Next, codes were collated into themes and compared across all 32 transcripts.
Results
The following major themes were identified across interviews: 1) A Continuum of Care and a Revolving Door; 2) Freedom, and Free Stuff; and 3) “Getting a Job and Staying Out of Trouble”. Participants described reentry planning as disjointed and challenging given the revolving door produced by JLS’s purported Continuum of Care process. Although the system allowed youth to be in their communities for a significant portion of their time, it created the sense that the youth were never fully “out” despite not always being in locked facilities. Second, in reflecting on what they looked forward to post-JLS involvement, youth often used the word “freedom”. This freedom included the ability to see friends and families, set daily routines, and access smartphones and the worlds built into these phones. Additionally, youth discussed the JLS-offered services (e.g., cash assistance, employment and education services) not only as critical support, but as resources they felt privileged to access only after they “moved through” the JLS. Finally, in all the interviews, youth tied their ability to successfully navigate reentry and “stay out of trouble” to financial security.
Conclusions and Implications
Results indicate that dually-involved BIYOC in reentry gain access to the social safety nets they need only after they have moved through an increasingly carceral continuum. Participants explicitly discussed being able to access key social services only after they have reached the reentry phase. Additionally, financial security remains a vital element of successfully navigating reentry. Implications for reentry programming and policies that promote BIYOC’s flourishing will be further discussed.