Reentry Barriers for Incarcerated Girls With Undiagnosed Disabilities in Costa Rica

Abstract

This article describes the process of reentry for adolescent girls and young women who experienced incarceration as adolescents in Costa Rica. The needs of adolescent girls and young women with undiagnosed and psychosocial disabilities are explored, considering existing scholarship and research gaps from Costa Rica’s legislation and policies. Literature on reentry developed in the United States were used, given that there is limited scholarship conducted in Costa Rica about girls in custody. The institutional dynamics related to reentry will be presented and illustrated through specific examples, with a focus on the opportunities and barriers adolescent girls face to create a life plan after incarceration. Reentry barriers for incarcerated youth with disabilities are described in Costa Rica’s institutional context, along with the social and employability needs for young women, with a focus on disabilities as an unexplored issue in Costa Rica’s judicial system.