Reentry

Meet Stephen, former recipient of the PbS Education and Employment Foundation Scholarship and Employment Matching Awards. He describes the PbS Scholarship as a "bridge," one that allowed him to become the first young person in the Oregon Youth Authority to pursue his master's degree: "I definitely think the scholarships are that first catalyst. The first step in my success was ...

Unlike many juvenile justice professionals, my role as Program Assistant at the Performance-based Standards Learning Institute (PbS) has very little direct interaction with the young people entangled in the system. Compared to the folks with the privilege of developing personal and meaningful relationships with the youths whom we serve, I am probably more detached from the huma ...

“I want to be the one who breaks the chain of poverty in my family. My plan when I get out is to get a job to help me stay focused and out of trouble,” one young man wrote to us in his application for the 2021 PbS Reentry Award.

April 26-30 is National Reentry Week, placing special focus on the importance of reentry and supporting and preparing young people to start afresh successfully and fulfil their potential. PbS added the voices of young people leaving facilities during 2020 to the discussion and showed the importance of hearing directly from them about their readiness and preparation for reentry.

Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Very little has changed for young people when they leave juvenile justice facilities. They return to their communities to face the same disadvantages, discrimination and barriers that they struggled with previously, and which likely resulted in their system involvement: unstable living situations, difficulties with school, poverty and lack of access to the basic necessities needed for healthy adolescent development. Their situation becomes more challenging when they leave because their involvement with juvenile justice makes it even harder for them to get back into school, get hired for a job, enlist in the military or be eligible for public housing.

Following the success of our virtual fundraiser “Creating Real Second Chances,” Performance-based Standards (PbS) was pleased to offer a second round of the 2020 PbS Reentry Award to youths in PbS participating facilities. During this unprecedented holiday season, youths headed home for the holiday season were eligible to receive additional support to ease the transition from j ...

Thanks to the generosity of donors and the success of our virtual fundraiser “Creating Real Second Chances”, Performance-based Standards (PbS) is pleased to announce the availability of additional funds to helps youths return to their homes and communities. The application for a second round of the 2020 PbS Reentry Award has opened.

Interviews are exciting! Especially your first one. Nerves creep up a little, practice interviews begin, and then suddenly you’re at your first interview, ready to land the job. Having some items handy like slacks and a dress shirt always helps with securing a job.

What happens when these items are not easily accessible? Of course, the job search becomes more difficult. Now you might need to find a job that can overlook a professional outfit during an interview, and the embarrassment of not being able to afford interview clothing.

In order to get by in the world, having money coming in is a must. All 2020 Reentry Award applicants mentioned money being difficult to come across. Stress levels and priorities in a household shift when there is a lack of or serious worry about having enough money. Many young people witness the challenging decision whether to pay rent or to buy groceries when they reenter thei ...

The intensive technical assistance will be provided by the PbS Learning Institute and its partners as part of the cooperative agreement with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice, for the project entitled: Improving Juvenile Reentry Data Collection, Analysis and Reporting. The application for int ...