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Questions and answers

What is reintegration?

We often hear about reintegration in the media. An adolescent who receives a sentence that involves custody is temporarily removed from society. But representatives of the justice system don’t simply wait around until they can let the youth out and then just wish him luck! On the contrary, from the very first days of custody, the youth is encouraged to map out a plan for his reintegration – in other words, he prepares for his return to a normal life.

Among other things, Keith’s program will include therapy to help him improve his behaviour. His reintegration into society will be the final step in a process that begins when he is placed in custody.

What are the goals of reintegration?

The experience of youth workers indicates that adolescents who have successfully reintegrated into society are less likely to re-offend. This means that they run a lower risk of committing new crimes and creating new victims.

Reintegration is an effective way to provide long-term protection to the public. That’s why it is considered to be an essential part of the youth justice system.

How does reintegration benefit adolescents?

Since teenagers are still developing and maturing, they are more likely than adults to benefit from the assistance of experts. With the help of educators, a youth might even break the habits that led to his behaviour and adopt new values. But there’s nothing magical about it! The youth has to be ready to put in the necessary time and effort. It is safe to say, however, that it’s usually easier to improve the behaviour of a teen than an adult who may have been involved in criminal activity for decades.

Reintegration also benefits adolescents by helping to improve family relations, a factor which is usually at the heart of the program’s success. In addition, it is not uncommon to see adolescents taking up their studies again or learning a trade. These new skills encourage the youth to avoid going back to the bad habits that led to his run-ins with the law.

As for Keith, he has decided to take up cabinet-making as a trade. Since he’s good with his hands, this program is very fulfilling for him. He would even like to start his own business someday. Keith is beginning to feel hopeful about what lies ahead of him once he leaves the youth centre.

In what way does the law stress the importance of reintegration?

Rehabilitation and reintegration are part of the guiding principles of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. So it should be no surprise that the law requires a reintegration plan to be mapped out for every adolescent who has been sentenced to custody. In addition, the law states that all custodial sentences must include a period of supervision within the community. This means that an adolescent is never released from a youth centre without the guidance and supervision of a social worker, who helps him reintegrate into society.

The law also gives officials responsible for the youth’s custodial sentence the power to grant reintegration leaves. Each leave may last up to a maximum of 30 days, but there’s no limit on how many times it can be renewed. An adolescent might be granted leave from the youth centre at fixed dates and times to attend courses at school, to get or keep a job, to do housework for his family, or even to attend external treatment programs (for example, to treat drug or alcohol abuse problems).

In short, the law is very flexible when it comes to encouraging the reintegration of adolescents. However, before an adolescent is released and the security measures against him are lifted, he has to prove that he can be trusted. Basically, he has to show he is ready to take the next step. Thanks to all the measures aimed at encouraging his reintegration, Keith feels he has a good chance of turning his life around.