Second Chance Act Grant Solicitation Released

The U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) released the solicitation for Second Chance Act grant applications to state and local governments for adult and juvenile reentry demonstration projects (Section 101).

Funding under this section is available to help state and local agencies implement programs and strategies to reduce recidivism and ensure the safe and successful reentry of adults and juveniles released from prisons and jails back to the community.

To download the solicitation or find out more about the grant program, click here.

The deadline for applications is 8:00 p.m. ET on March 4, 2010.

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New! National Reentry Resource Center Website

The Council of State Governments, in partnership with the Urban Institute, the Association of State Correctional Administrators, the American Probation and Parole Association, and a national advisory board; has just launched a great new reentry resource. Established under the Second Chance Act, the National Reentry Resource Center disseminates information about reentry issues and promotes best practices in the field.

Their goals:

• Provide a one-stop, interactive source of current, user-friendly reentry information.
• Identify, document, and promote evidence-based practices.
• Deliver individualized, targeted technical assistance to the Second Chance Act grantees.
• Advance the reentry field through training, distance learning, and knowledge development.

Why this is helping for you:

The site lists funding opportunities, has a searchable database of program examples, offers research on a number of different topics related to reentry, and provides information about how to start your own reentry initiative. Importantly, there is a set of resources just for people who are returning from prison, many of them created by partners of the Upper Manhattan Reentry Task Force.

Check it out!

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Good News! Task Force Receives Funding from the Second Chance Act!

Today, we learned that the Upper Manhattan Reentry Task Force will be receiving federal funding under the Second Chance Act, totaling roughly $700,000. The funding was awarded to the Mayor's Office of the Criminal Justice Coordinator, through whom the Harlem Community Justice Center is a subcontractor.

Not only will this enable us to implement an adult reentry demonstration project (in other words, continue to help state and local agencies implement programs and strategies to reduce recidivism and ensure safe and successful reentry through the Task Force), but it will also allow us to add a new mentoring capacity to the Harlem Parole Reentry Court.

We are particularly excited about this because it represents recognition from the federal government that a collaborative and problem-solving approach to reentry is the way to go. Many thanks to our local partners for the work they have done over the years (check out a list of them on the right-hand side of this blog) to help us secure this funding and the opportunity to achieve even greater results for people returning from prison and jail!

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Marion County Oregon Recieves Second Chance Act Grant

The Marion County Re-Entry Initiative has been awarded a grant under the Second Chance Act by the U.S Department of Justice. These eagerly awaited reentry grants are just begining to be announced. Read the article here.

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