Second Chance Act
Signed into law on April 9, 2008, the Second Chance Act (P.L. 110-199) was designed to improve outcomes for people returning to communities from prisons and jails. This first-of-its-kind legislation authorizes federal grants to government agencies and nonprofit organizations to provide employment assistance, substance abuse treatment, housing, family programming, mentoring, victims support, and other services that can help reduce recidivism.
On October 26, 2010, Leah Kane from the National Reentry Resource Center delivered the following congressional briefing about the Second Chance Act.
2012 Second Chance Act Solicitations
Second Chance Act Technology Careers Training Demonstration Projects for Incarcerated Adults and Juvenile FY 2012 Competitive Grant Announcement, Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice
On Tuesday, December 6, 2011, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), U.S. Department of Justice, released the solicitation for the Second Chance Act Technology Careers Training Demonstration Projects for Incarcerated Adults and Juveniles. States, units of local government, territories, and “federally recognized Indian tribes” are encouraged to apply for funds that can be used to establish programs to train individuals in prisons, jails, or juvenile residential facilities for technology-based jobs and careers during the three-year period before their release. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET, March 2, 2012. To download the solicitation, click here.
Resources for this solicitation:
- Frequently Asked Questions, Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice
- 2011 Webainar for applicants responding to solicitation (this webinar is relevant for applicants responding to the 2012 solicitation, a 2012 solicitation-specific webinar will NOT be offered), National Reentry Resource Center
- 2011 Webinar PowerPoint Presentation, National Reentry Resource Center
2011 Second Chance Act Grantees
- Adult Mentoring
- Adult Mentoring, “Promoting Successful Reentry Through Responsible Fatherhood/Motherhood”
- Juvenile Mentoring
In early October, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that 118 programs have been selected to receive funding in 2011 under the Second Chance Act (SCA). Grantees include both local and state governments and nonprofit organizations.
The selection process was highly competitive. According to Laurie O. Robinson, Assistant Attorney General in the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, DOJ received more than 1,000 applications for Second Chance funding this year.
To see the list of SCA grant recipients, click on one of the specific grant tracks listed below. (The number of recipients is noted in the parentheses.)
Mentoring Grants
Funding under this section helps nonprofit organizations and federally recognized Indian tribes implement mentoring projects to promote the safe and successful reintegration into the community of adults and juveniles who have been incarcerated.
Demonstration Grants
Funding under this section helps state and local agencies implement projects and strategies to reduce recidivism and ensure the safe and successful reentry of adults and juveniles released from prisons, jails, or youth detention facilities back to the community.
Family-Based Substance Abuse Treatment Grants
Funding under this section helps state and local government agencies and federally recognized Indian tribes establish or enhance residential substance abuse treatment projects in correctional facilities that include family supportive services.
Adult Offenders with Co-Occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Health Disorders
This section’s funding helps state and local government agencies and federally recognized Indian tribes establish or enhance residential substance abuse treatment programs in correctional facilities that include aftercare and recovery supportive services.
Reentry Courts
This section’s funding helps state and local government agencies and federally recognized Indian tribes establish state, local, and tribal reentry courts monitor offenders and provide them with the treatment services necessary to establish a self-sustaining and law-abiding life.
Technology Careers
Funding under this section helps state and local governments and federally recognized Indian tribes to establish programs to train individuals in prisons, jails, or juvenile residential facilities for technology-based jobs and careers during the three-year period before their release.
In addition to these awards, other reentry research and technical assistance Second Chance Act awards were announced.
Second Chance Act Grantees
Second Chance Act Solicitations
Second Chance Act News Clips
12/15/11 — The Franklin County Community Reentry (FCCR) program has recently been approved for two grants totaling over $1.2 million through the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. FCCR is the only reentry program in the state of Tennessee to receive a Second Chance Act Award for the 2011 fiscal year, and in addition to this, the program has also received a grant from the state of Tennessee’s Office of Criminal Justice.
12/9/11 — The San Bernardino County Department of Public Health wants to connect with California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation prisoners immediately after their release to get a handle on cases of tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis.
11/9/11 — The Missouri Department of Corrections has been awarded $412,355 to support efforts to reduce recidivism and improve public safety. The grant allows Missouri to continue a program called Second Chance in Action, which targets moderate and high-risk women returning to rural southeast Missouri.
11/6/11 — Nine out of every 10 inmates in state prison will at some point be released. Many — roughly 44 percent of them — will be back within three years. If Wetzel can do something that will reduce the number who commit another crime, the communities they return to will be safer and his prisons won’t cost as much to run.