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.

Second Chance Act Resources

• Fact Sheet
• Talking Points
• 2009-2011 Grantee List
• Advocacy Packet COMING SOON

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Second Chance Act Funding Under Consideration in the House and Senate

On April 17, 2012 the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Commerce, Justice, and Science released their fiscal year 2013 justice funding bills. In the House, appropriators proposed $70 million for the Second Chance Act, an increase of $7 million from the FY12 funding level. Senate appropriators included $25 million in their bill, while also proposing $6 million for the Justice Reinvestment initiative. The robust funding provided for the Second Chance Act and Justice Reinvestment Initiative reflects continued congressional support for prisoner reentry and recidivism reduction efforts.

Recently, 82 Members of Congress signaled their support for the Second Chance Act in two letters sent to leading appropriators responsible for determining funding for justice programs. In the House, 59 Members of Congress signed a bipartisan letter circulated by Representatives Howard Coble (R-NC-6) and Danny Davis (D-IL-7). A similar letter in the Senate, led by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), collected 23 signatures.

At a time when Congress is increasingly focused on reducing spending, these letters, and the Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittees’ decision to provide strong funding for the Second Chance Act, demonstrated that this important program remains a priority for many lawmakers. The Second Chance Act was passed by Congress in 2008 and supports evidence-based strategies proven to reduce recidivism.

Meanwhile, agencies and organizations concerned with reentry issues have begun to voice their support for the Second Chance Act by drafting their own letter calling on Congress to provide robust funding for Second Chance programs in fiscal year 2013. The letter has been signed by 213 groups throughout the country, and the number of supporting organizations continues to grow. If your organization is interested in signing on, please contact Jeff Burdette at jburdette@csg.org. Please also help ensure that this letter reaches all organizations in support of the Second Chance Act by forwarding it to colleagues, friends, and other advocates in your community.

Please help protect funding for the Second Chance Act in FY 2013 and sign your organization onto the Second Chance FY13 sign-on letter. Hundreds of state, local, and community organizations have signed on to date to protect the funding for this critical prisoner reentry program. Organizations that are interested in signing the letter should email Jeff Burdette.

The new home on the web for the most up-to-date information about the Second Chance Act, including new solicitations, is the National Reentry Resource Center.

• To find information about the Second Chance Act on the National Reentry Resource Center's website, please click here.
• To register to receive the National Reentry Resource Center's monthly newsletter, please click here.

The National Reentry Resource Center, a project of the Council of State Governments Justice Center, is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance.