Establishing a School-Based Mentoring Program for Youth Who Are Transitioning From a Secure Facility

Youth with disabilities face many obstacles when transitioning from a juvenile detention facility back to school. A school-based mentoring program provides formerly incarcerated youth with support and encouragement from a caring, responsible adult. Youth with positive role models such as a mentor are more likely to successfully transition back to school and less likely to return to the correctional facility. In this article, the authors describe the implementation steps necessary for a successful mentoring program, and provide a list of resources for beginning a school-based mentoring program. (Contains 2 tables.)