National Reentry Resource Center

National Reentry Resource Center Newsletter

FEATURES

The Steps to Start Strategic Planning

Reentry initiatives are most effective when they follow a strategic plan. Strategic planning allows an organization or collaborative partnership to build agreement about the direction of a reentry effort, and clearly describes and communicates the activities that are part of accomplishing defined objectives.

Building from Chapter A: Getting Started from the Report of the Re-Entry Policy Council, the Urban Institute and the Crime and Justice Institute developed the steps for incorporating strategic planning into your reentry initiative.

To learn more about strategic planning, please click here.

To watch a web presentation about strategic planning, please click here. (NOTE: The free QuickTime Player or RealPlayer plug-in is required to view this presentation.)

Hill Update

On February 1, 2010, the Office of Management and Budget released the President's Budget for fiscal year 2011, which includes $100 million for Second Chance Act grant programs administered by the U.S. Department of Justice. The President’s Budget is now under review in Congress. In March, sixty members of the House of Representatives, led by Representatives Danny Davis (D-IL), Howard Coble (R-NC), and Bobby Scott (D-VA), submitted a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies to request full funding for the Second Chance Act in fiscal year 2010. Members of the Senate and a coalition of more than 200 organizations from around the country will soon submit letters requesting funding for the Second Chance Act. For more information about the appropriations process, click here.

Second Chance Act Grantee Profile

Occasionally, the Justice Center will spotlight a state, local government, or nonprofit organization that has received funding through the Bureau of Justice Assistance Second Chance Act Grant Program.

Program: Hour Children
Location: New York, New York
Grantee Type: Adult Mentoring

Program Summary

Since 1986, Hour Children, Inc., has been implementing community-based programs that address the needs of children with incarcerated parents and women involved in the criminal justice system. Hour Children, Inc., established the Hour Woman-to-Woman Mentoring Program to mentor single mothers and primary caregivers returning from prison or jail to New York City. Strong pro-social support is essential to a successful reentry, and this program helps women access services such as job training, parenting classes, education and literacy programs, domestic abuse support, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and child care.

The Woman-to-Woman Mentoring Program is currently recruiting mentors and enrolling participants from Bayview Correctional Facility in Manhattan and Taconic Correctional Facility in Bedford Hills, New York. To learn more about the work of Hour Children, Inc., please visit http://www.hourchildren.org/index.php.

Funding Opportunities

Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance
According to the solicitation for this program:
The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program seeks to increase public safety through innovative cross-system collaboration for individuals with mental illness or co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders who come into contact with the justice system. The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is seeking applications that demonstrate a collaborative project between criminal justice and mental health partners from eligible applicants to plan, implement, or expand a justice and mental health collaboration program. Applicants are limited to states, units of local government, federally recognized Indian tribes and tribal organizations. BJA will only accept applications that demonstrate that the proposed project will be administered jointly by a unit of government with responsibility for criminal or juvenile justice activities and a mental health agency.

Applications are due by April 8, 2010. For more information, click here.
Strategic Enhancement to Mentoring Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
According to the solicitation for this program:
While research indicates that quality mentoring is a promising delinquency prevention technique, certain program characteristics and elements are moderators of its effectiveness. This solicitation invites eligible applicants to propose evidence-based enhancements that are among these moderators of program effectiveness. The three strategies include: (1) involving the parents in activities or services, (2) providing structured activities and programs for the mentoring matches, and (3) developing and implementing on-going training and support for mentors. OJJDP invites applications from public agencies (including state agencies, units of local government, public school systems, universities and colleges, federally-recognized Indian tribal governments), private organizations (including faith-based, tribal and community organizations), and institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher learning).

Applications are due by April 14, 2010. For more information, click here.
State Advisory Group Training and Technical Assistance Project, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
According to the solicitation for this program:
OJJDP will offer funding to an organization that provides program activities in support of OJJDP’s mission to provide national leadership, coordination, and resources to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and child victimization. OJJDP will make one award of as much as $500,000 for a 1-year project period. The annual award amount will be renewable for a period not to exceed 3 years. OJJDP invites applications from public agencies including state agencies, units of local government, public universities and colleges (including tribal institutions of higher education), and federally-recognized Indian tribal governments (including federally-recognized Indian tribal governments as determined by the Secretary of the Interior and published in the Federal Register) and private organizations (including faith-based, tribal and community organizations).

Applications are due by April 29, 2010. For more information, click here.
Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, U.S. Department of Justice
According to the solicitation for this program:
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is pleased to announce that it is seeking applications for funding to improve public safety and victim services in Tribal communities. This solicitation furthers the Department’s mission by providing federally-recognized Tribes and Tribal consortia an opportunity to develop a comprehensive and coordinated approach and apply for funding to reduce and prevent crime and victimization. DOJ’s existing Tribal government-specific program are included in, and available through, this single Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation. Only federally-recognized Indian Tribal governments, as determined by the Secretary of the Interior, may apply.

Applications are due by May 13, 2010. For more information, click here.
Research on Sentencing and Community-Based Alternatives to Incarceration, U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice
According to the solicitation for this program:
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is pleased to announce that it is seeking applications for funding for research on sentencing and community corrections polices and practices that promote effective and cost-efficient community-based alternatives to jail and prison without jeopardizing public safety. In general, NIJ is authorized to make grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, States (including territories), local governments (including federally-recognized Indian tribal governments as determined by the Secretary of the Interior and published in the Federal Register), nonprofit and profit organizations (including tribal nonprofit and profit organizations), institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher education), and certain qualified individuals.

Applications are due by June 1, 2010. For more information, click here.

Announcements & Events

Apr 05 Defendant/Offender Workforce Development Conference

National Career Development Association will host the 2010 Defendant/Offender Workforce Development Conference, which will be held April 5-8, 2010, in Dallas, TX. The topic will be the intersection of the reentry field and defendant/offender workforce development. Click here for more information.

Apr 07 Blueprints for Violence Prevention Conference

This conference will motivate the violence prevention field to adopt evidence-based programs and provide support, guidance, and tools to help practitioners implement these programs successfully in their own communities. Attendees will hear from seasoned practitioners in the field and be given the opportunity to network with others in the industry. Professionals working in the area of violence prevention for youth will not want to miss this opportunity. For more information, go to http://www.blueprintsconference.com/.

Apr 09 Coalition for Juvenile Justice Annual National Conference & Council of SAGs' Meeting: "Ensuring School Engagement and Success for Youth at Risk"

Registration is now open for the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) Annual National Conference & Council of SAGs' Meeting, to be held on April 10-13, 2010, at the Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel, 999 Ninth Street NW, Washington, DC 20001. The theme of the conference is "Ensuring School Engagement and Success for Youth at Risk." For more information, go to http://www.juvjustice.org/conference_8.html.

Apr 19 Jerry Lee Crime Prevention Symposium

The 10th Annual Jerry Lee Crime Prevention Symposium – Systematic Evidence on What Works in Crime and Justice, will take place in Washington, DC on April 19 and 20, 2010. The symposium is sponsored by the University of Maryland, University of Pennsylvania, and George Mason University. The focus of the Symposium will be on the work of the Campbell Collaboration's Crime and Justice Group. Registration is free, but required. For more information and to register, go to http://gemini.gmu.edu/cebcp/JerryLee.html.

Apr 22 Blending Addiction Science and Practice: Evidence-Based Treatment and Prevention in Diverse Populations and Settings

The Blending Addiction Science and Practice: Evidence-Based Treatment and Prevention in Diverse Populations and Settings conference presents innovative, science-based approaches that have been proven to be effective in the prevention and treatment of drug abuse and addiction. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will host the 8th Blending Conference in partnership with the University of New Mexico, the University of Arizona, and the University of California, San Francisco, on April 22-23, 2010, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information, please visit http://www.seiservices.com/blendingalbuquerque/index.aspx.

Reentry in the News

Articles from newspapers around the country covering reentry issues can be found on the National Reentry Resource Center website. Some recent headlines from the homepage are posted below.

The Birmingham News (Alabama) — Prison re-entry operators eye Carraway hospital site

3/25/10 — "A nonprofit group that runs a prisoner re-entry program toured the former Carraway hospital Wednesday afternoon to explore possibilities on the vacated medical campus."

Officials: Missouri Reentry reducing recidivism

3/24/10 — ST. LOUIS (AP) — "Corrections officials are crediting a model the state pioneered called the Missouri Reentry Process, which helps offenders succeed in life after prison, for reducing the number of people on probation or parole who reoffend."

The Business Journal (California) — Fresno prisoner re-entry program granted $2.9M

3/24/10 — "The Fresno Career Development Institute, Inc. is the recipient of $2.9 million in federal funding meant to aid prisoner re-entry programs."

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia) — Cutting recidivism saves money and lives

3/23/10 — "If two-thirds of public school students dropped out, or two-thirds of all bridges built collapsed within three years, would citizens tolerate it? The people of Georgia would never stand for that kind of failure. But that is exactly what is happening all across the U.S. in our prison systems."

The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register (West Virginia) — Alter Low-Risk Criminal Policy

3/22/10 — "When judges send 'low-risk' offenders to halfway houses and other treatment centers, they increase the probability of recidivism, according to a report that suggests ending the practice in Ohio."

Publications

The State of Sentencing 2009: Developments in Policy and Practice, The Sentencing Project

During 2009 state legislatures in at least nineteen states enacted policies that hold the potential to reduce prison populations and/or promote more effective approaches to public safety. This report examines these initiatives in sentencing reform, death penalty, probation and parole practices, and juvenile justice.

Do Reentry Courts Reduce Recidivism? The Center for Court Innovation

This report assesses the impact of the Harlem Parole Reentry Court, which was established in June of 2001 in response to the high concentration of parolees returning to the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan.

Downscaling Prisons: Lessons from Four States, The Sentencing Project

This report highlights policy changes in four states — Kansas, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York - that have reduced their prison populations by 5-20% since 1999 without any increases in crime.

License Suspensions for Nondriving Offenses: Practices in Four States That May Ease the Financial Impact on Low-Income Individuals, United States Government Accountability Office

Of the many collateral consequences of incarceration and conviction, losing a driver's license can be among the most devastating. A driver's license is often key for employment, but the financial and legal barriers to attaining a license are sometimes too great to overcome.

Volunteers of America's Home Free: Rapid Re-Housing for Survivors of Domestic Violence, National Alliance to End Homelessness

Home Free is a domestic violence victim service agency in Portland, Oregon, that provides an array of services including a hotline, emergency housing assistance, advocacy, support groups, and child- and teen-programs for families impacted by violence. In 2003, the program closed their emergency shelter and developed a Housing First program to more effectively meet the housing needs of survivors. Currently, the program provides rapid re-housing assistance to 80 to 100 households annually.

The document includes the following information about Home Free:

Program History

Program Description, including Targeting/Eligibility, Services, and Funding

Program Outcomes

Lessons Learned

Audiences

Tools & Resources