U.S. Department of Justice: Second Chance Act Youth Offender Reentry Program

The Second Chance Act Youth Offender Reentry Program encourages collaboration between state agencies, local government, and community-and faith-based organizations to address the challenges that reentry and recidivism reduction pose for moderate to high-risk juvenile offenders returning to their communities from juvenile residential or correctional facilities.

The goal of the program is to increase public safety and reduce recidivism among moderate to high-risk youth following release from a juvenile residential facility. For the purposes of this program, recidivism is defined as a return to a residential placement facility, jail, or prison with either a new conviction or as the result of a violation of the terms of supervision within 24 months of initial release.

As part of program services within the facility, youth are expected to be screened and assessed for needs and risk of reoffending. Based upon the results of a risk and needs assessment, it is expected that appropriate community-based program services are identified and coordinated at least 90 days prior to release. During the post-release phase of the reentry program, youth should receive case management services and be connected to evidence-based programming designed to ensure continuity of services and a safe and successful transition from placement to the community. Case management services and evidence-based programming should begin during the prerelease phase

Applicants must provide and demonstrate all of the following:

• Develop a comprehensive reentry strategic plan that describes the long-term strategy and incorporates a detailed implementation schedule, including the applicant’s plans to fund the program after Federal funding is discontinued.
  Identify the local government role and the role of governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations that will be coordinated by, and will collaborate on, the applicant’s offender reentry strategy, and certify the involvement of such agencies and organizations.
• Describe the evidence-based methodology and outcome measures that will be used to evaluate the program funded with a grant under this subsection, and specifically explain how such measurements will provide valid measures of the impact of that program and how the project could be broadly replicated if demonstrated to be effective.
• Document that reflects explicit support of the chief executive officer, or their designee, of the State, unit of local government, territory, or Indian tribe applying for a grant under this subsection.
• Discuss the role that Federal corrections, State corrections departments, community corrections agencies, juvenile justice systems, and tribal or local jail systems will play in ensuring successful reentry of offenders into their communities.
• Provide evidence of collaboration with State, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies and government agencies overseeing health, housing, child welfare, education, substance abuse prevention and treatment, victim services, and employment services.
• Provide a plan for analysis of the statutory, regulatory, rules-based, and practice-based hurdles to reintegration of offenders into the community.
  Include the use of a State, local, territorial, or tribal juvenile reentry task force to carry out activities funded under the grant.
• Provide a plan for continued collaboration with a local evaluator, as necessary, to meet the requirements for evaluation under this grant program.
  Demonstrate that the applicant participated in the planning grant process or engaged in comparable planning for the reentry project.

Note: Refer to the solicitation to review listings for program specific priority areas and Office of Justice Programs (OJP) priority areas.

Amount: A total of $7,000,0000 is available to make nine awards that can range up to $750,000 each. The period of performance is 36 months. The award will require a 50 percent match from nonfederal sources.

Eligibility: The following entities are eligible to apply:

• States and territories in partnership with interested persons (including Federal corrections and supervision agencies), service providers, and nonprofit organizations.
• Local governments in partnership with interested persons (including Federal corrections and supervision agencies), service providers, and nonprofit organizations.
• Federally recognized Indian tribal governments in partnership with interested persons (including federal corrections and supervision agencies), service providers, and nonprofit organizations. The program will provide comprehensive reentry services for moderate to high-risk youth offenders before, during, and after release from confinement.

Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=324864

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