Examining Dually-Involved Black, Indigenous, and Youth of Color’s Reentry Experiences in Massachusetts

PI: Noor Toraif, PhD Candidate, School of Social Work (SSW)
Co-PI: Astraea Augsberger, PhD, Assistant Professor, SSW

Youth involved with child welfare system (CWS) are entering the juvenile justice system (JJS) at rates far higher than their peers, and Black, Indigenous, and Youth of Color (BIYOC) represent a disproportionate percentage of youth with dual-involvement. Scholarship on dual-involvement focuses on youth demographics and their experiences within the CWS and JJS. However, less attention has been paid to dually-involved youths’ experiences as they navigate exiting the JJS and reentering their communities. Further, the scholarship on reentry in general is primarily quantitative, focusing more on outcomes such as recidivism, and less on the subjective reentry experiences of youth, and BIYOC in particular. This interdisciplinary study draws from Critical Race Theory, Positive Youth Development, and the Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory. It employs a mixed methods approach, using administrative data from the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services, as well as semi-structured interviews (n=45) with dually-involved BIYOC in reentry to 1) examine the factors associated with positive reentry experiences; and 2) understand the subjective reentry experiences of BIYOC, the goals they pursue, how they respond to racial inequity and discrimination during reentry, and their hopes and expectations for their future beyond incarceration. Administrative data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics, regression, and survival analyses, while semi-structured interviews will be analyzed using both thematic and Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Project findings will be leveraged to provide recommendations for increasing racial equity in the reentry process, and to inform Massachusetts reentry interventions and policies that promote BIYOC’s flourishing and contribute to positive future trajectories.

See more of our 2021 Early Stage Urban Research Award recipients