Although considerable attention has been paid to the outcomes of adults released from prison, a notable shortcoming of the evolving reentry literature is the minimal inclusion of juveniles in recidivism analyses. Through an examination of administrative data collected by the Illinois Department of Corrections for 1,894 youth released from Illinois Youth Centers (IYC) in 2003, we sought to determine the rate at which juveniles were returned to either an IYC or an adult prison within a six-year follow-up period, and how youth demographic, legal, and social characteristics were predictive of return to prison. The analyses found that approximately 45% of the youth were returned to a juvenile facility within six years, and when admission into an adult prison was included, the recidivism rate increased to 62%. Logistic regression showed some consistencies and differences in the relationship between youth characteristics and return to either a juvenile or adult prison within the follow-up period.
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