This presentation reports findings from the second year of the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ’s) Evaluation of Second Chance Act Adult Reentry Courts (NESCAARC). Reentry courts arose as part of a broader national movement toward specialized problem-solving courts, which address specific problems among criminal justice populations. Reentry courts combine intensive judicial and community corrections oversight with rehabilitative services intended to assist with the overwhelming needs of individuals returning from incarceration. Reentry courts have not been implemented nor studied as extensively as other problem-solving courts, and little is known about the challenges associated with program implementation and the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of these programs.

The NESCAARC study was funded by NIJ in 2010 and includes a process evaluation, impact evaluation, and cost-effectiveness study of eight adult reentry courts funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance in FY 2010 under the Second Chance Act 2007 (Pub. L. 110-199). This presentation highlights results from interviews with reentry court staff including implementation challenges and solutions; organizational partnerships and interagency collaboration and communication; as well as results from participant interviews including participant motivation for enrolling, participant attitudes toward reentry court staff, perceptions of the decision-making process, and recommendations for program improvement.  Interviews with court staff revealed that common challenges included staff turnover, maintaining consistent communication among team members from different agencies, following program eligibility guidelines consistently and limited resources, particularly for assisting participants with employment and transportation. Interviews with program participants provided interesting and detailed information on participant background and perspectives on the reentry court. Unsurprisingly, the majority of participants had family members and friends who were currently incarcerated or had been incarcerated in the past. Participants just entering the program struggled with finding and keeping a place to live as well as employment. After experiencing reentry court, participants expressed the feelings that reentry court staff truly cared for them and wanted them to succeed, and that staff worked hard to help participants find housing and work.