U.S. Department of Justice: Second Chance Act Comprehensive Community-Based Adult Reentry Program

The Second Chance Act Comprehensive Community-based Adult Reentry Program (Adult Reentry Program) supports organizations or tribes providing comprehensive reentry services to program participants throughout the transition from jail or prison to the community. The program seeks to support organizations to implement or expand on reentry programs that demonstrate strong partnerships with corrections, parole, probation, law enforcement, and other reentry service providers. These partnerships should enhance efforts to meet the needs of individuals at medium- to high-risk to reoffend. Objectives are to:

• Develop comprehensive case management plans that directly address criminogenic risks and needs, as identified by validated criminogenic risk assessments, and include delivery or facilitation of services in a manner consistent with participants’ learning styles and abilities
• Demonstrate increased collaboration between community- and faith-based organizations and corrections, community supervision, law enforcement, and other local reentry stakeholders

Participants are expected to be screened, assessed, and identified for program participation pre-release. During the post-release phase of the reentry program, participants will receive case management services and be connected to evidence-based programming designed to ensure that the transition from prison or jail to the community is safe and successful. Where feasible, case management services and evidence-based programming should begin during the pre-release phase.

Proposed programs should document plans to evaluate the impact of their collaborations and the services provided. Applicants are encouraged to explore outcomes such as program engagement, family reunification and stability, financial literacy/economic stability, housing stability, and other outcomes in addition to recidivism reduction.

The Adult Reentry Program will make awards through two categories of grants:

• Category 1 – Community-based adult reentry: The proposed program must commit to serving a minimum of 150 people that meet the target population requirements. The target population must be a specific subset of: medium- to high-risk individuals, as identified using a validated criminogenic risk assessment tool; aged 18 or older and convicted as an adult; incarcerated in a state, local, or tribal prison or jail at the time of enrollment in the program. For federally recognized Indian tribes, the individuals may be housed in a tribal, regional, county, or local jail pursuant to state or tribal law.
• Category 2 – Community-based adult reentry with small and rural organizations: Applicants must demonstrate an annual operating budget of $1,000,000 or less and not be a chapter or affiliate of a national organization as defined by having a licensing or other agreement where the national entity provides financial and/or operational support. Special consideration will be given to those organizations operating in and serving a rural area of the country. The proposed program must commit to serving a minimum of 75 people that meet the target population requirements.

Priority consideration will be given to applicants who:

• Propose programs that target high-risk individuals who are currently convicted of a violent offense or have a history of violent offense convictions. When determining what qualifies as a violent offense, programs should consult with local law enforcement and use the definition that aligns with the definition used by the program’s local jurisdiction.
• Provide for an independent evaluation of the project that includes, to the maximum extent feasible, random assignment of individuals to program delivery and control groups. Applicants may refer to this Research Partner Q&A document (http://www.psnmsu.com/documents/ResearchPartnerQ&A.pdf) to learn answers to common questions about research partnerships, including how to identify a well-qualified research partner. If no existing research partnership is in place, inquiring with a sociology or criminology department at a local college or university is often a good place to start.
• Incorporate feedback and involvement of victims of crime and their families, law enforcement, individuals who have been incarcerated, and families of incarcerated individual.
• Programs that plan to develop or have an existing relationship with their local reentry council or task force and document efforts to collaborate and coordinate on reentry services.
• Operate out of a rural area of the country and serve a population returning to a rural community. This consideration applies to Category 2 grant applicants.

Allowable use of funds include:

• Using criminogenic risk and needs information to reduce recidivism
• Providing sustained case planning/management in the community
• Supporting a comprehensive range of services
• Providing pre- and/or post-release mentoring
• Supporting job readiness and employability
• Increasing access to health benefits
• Providing staff training, coaching, and performance evaluations on adopted evidence-based practices and working with reentry populations
• Resources to support civil legal aid
• Develop or enhance an existing data system

Note: One mandatory requirement is to include a plan for a planning phase of up to 12 months. Grantees will be expected to complete a planning phase, prior to implementing services. During the planning phase, applicants will build upon and strengthen compliance with the mandatory requirements as well as clarify and enhance program operations and service delivery. Grantees will receive intensive technical assistance and will be allowed to access a portion of the total grant award ($200,000 for Category 1 and $100,000 for Category 2) in order to complete and submit a required Planning and Implementation Guide. See solicitation for more details regarding mandatory requirements.

Amount: A total of $10,000,000 is available to make up to 12 awards. Award ranges depend on category, as follows:

• Category 1: A total of $8,000,000 is available to make up to eight awards of up to $1,000,000 each. The performance period is 36 months.
• Category 2: A total of up to $2,000,000. is available to make up to four awards that range up to $500,000 each. The performance period is 36 months.

Eligibility: Nonprofit organizations (including tribal nonprofit organizations) with a documented history of providing comprehensive, evidence-based reentry services, and federally recognized Indian tribes. Additional eligibility requirements are dependent upon the category of grant.

Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=301459

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