The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced $36 million in FY2017 Second Chance Act (SCA) grants that were awarded to 68 jurisdictions across the country.
Including this year’s cohort of grantees, more than 840 SCA grants have been awarded to agencies and organizations in 49 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories since the legislation was enacted in 2008. SCA grants fund a wide range of programs and services including employment assistance and technology career training; reentry programs for adults and juveniles who have mental health and substance use disorders; adult mentoring and transitional services; and system reform aimed at increasing positive outcomes for youth on community supervision and those returning from confinement.
New in FY2017 is the Comprehensive Community-Based Adult Reentry Program, which supports community- and faith-based organizations in developing and implementing collaborative programs and case management plans that provide aid to people reentering communities who are at medium to high risk of reoffending. Previously this grant track focused on jurisdictions that were implementing mentoring services, and the new grant track supports a wider array of evidence-based interventions, which may be used in conjunction with mentoring services.
These 68 jurisdictions join 168 other active SCA grantees that continue to innovate and demonstrate the effectiveness of reentry initiatives. To assist in their successful implementation and to share lessons learned more broadly with the field, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) funds the National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC). In addition to providing individualized and strategic guidance to SCA grantees in order to maximize their efforts to reduce recidivism and help people succeed after incarceration, the NRRC serves as a one-stop clearinghouse for research and practical examples on the effectiveness of a variety of reentry programs and practices.
Within DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs, BJA administers grants for programs serving adults, while the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention oversees programs that serve youth.
Read more about the SCA grant program and updates from Capitol Hill.
Source: JusticeCenter