Academic Potential Among African American Adolescents in Juvenile Detention Centers: Implications for Reentry to School

Abstract

The study explores Black adolescent detainees' academic potential and motivation to return to school, to inform best practices and policies for juvenile reentry to educational settings. Adolescent detainees (N = 1,576) who were recruited from 1 male and 1 female youth detention facility, responded to surveys that assessed postdetention educational plans, as well as social and emotional characteristics, and criminal history. Multivariate analysis techniques were used to compare factors across race and gender, and plot linear relationships between key indicators of academic potential with associate factors. Findings revealed that youth were more likely to evince academic potential when they had a healthy level of self-esteem, adequate future goal orientation, positive mood, family and community involvement, fewer traumatic events, and less delinquent activity.

KEYWORDS:

• academics
• African American adolescents
• juvenile detention
• reentry

Preparation of this article was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH; Grant 5R25MH080669) and by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA; Grant 5R01AA11767). The NIMH and NIAAA had no further role in the conceptualization or preparation of this manuscript, or the decision to submit this paper for publication.

Notes

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