Department of Justice Announces 78 New Second Chance Act Grantees

Five States Receive Funding Under New Statewide Recidivism Reduction Implementation Program

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) recently awarded 78 new Second Chance Act (SCA) grants to state, local, and tribal governments and nonprofit organizations across 34 states. Since 2009, the SCA grant program has supported innovative, evidence-based reentry programs and policy reforms aimed at reducing recidivism and increasing public safety.

Among the new awards are five $3 million Statewide Recidivism Reduction (SRR) implementation grants, awarded to Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Vermont. These were 5 of 13 states that previously received SRR planning grants, a “race to the top”-style grant program through which state corrections agencies develop a strategic plan to reduce the statewide recidivism rate. The states with the strongest plans were then chosen to receive implementation funding to execute those plans.

Signed into law in 2008 with bipartisan support, the SCA has funded a wide range of improved supervision practices and reentry programs, including employment assistance and job-skills training, treatment for mental and substance use disorders, education, housing assistance, family services, and mentoring. To date, more than 600 grants have been awarded to agencies and organizations in 49 states. Within OJP, the Bureau of Justice Assistance administers grants for programs serving adults, while the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention oversees youth-serving programs.

For more information on the SCA, please visit the National Reentry Resource Center, or read our news on the Second Chance Reauthorization Act that recently passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee.