Collaboration Between Juvenile Justice and Education Agencies to Support Incarcerated Youth, Education and Career Counselors

The Massachusetts Department of Youth Services (DYS) designs, manages, and implements educational and workforce development services for incarcerated youth while the youth are in facilities and post release. To do this, DYS contracts with nonprofit organizations. Through a relationship with the Collaborative for Educational Services, DYS employs 11 Education and Career Counselors (ECCs). Every post-adjudicated DYS student is assigned an ECC to facilitate a successful transition into the appropriate educational and vocational setting within the community. Some of the ECCs tasks involve: working with youth's DYS team (case worker, service provider staff, and school district staff) to share information about the youth's educational needs and strengths, preparing school transcripts with the school district, record transfers, attending suspension or expulsion hearings at the youth's local school, and arranging financial support for postsecondary institutions.