BJA FY 12 National Adult and Juvenile Offender Reentry Resource Center

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The Second Chance Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-199) provides a comprehensive response to the increasing number of incarcerated adults and juveniles who are released from prison, jail, and juvenile residential facilities and returning to communities. There are currently over 2.3 million individuals serving time in our federal and state prisons, and millions of people cycling through local jails every year. Ninety-five percent of all offenders incarcerated today will eventually be released and will return to communities. The Second Chance Act is designed to help communities develop and implement comprehensive and collaborative strategies that address the challenges posed by offender reentry and recidivism reduction. Within this context, “reentry” is not a specific program, but rather an evidence-based process that starts when an offender is initially incarcerated and ends when the offender has been successfully reintegrated in his or her community as a law-abiding citizen. The reentry process includes the delivery of a variety of evidence-based program services in both pre- and post-release settings to help ensure that the transition individuals make from prison, jail, or juvenile residential facilities to the community is successful and promotes public safety. Section 101 of The Second Chance Act, in addition to providing federal awards to state and local governments and federally recognized Indian tribes for demonstration reentry projects, also authorized the establishment of a National Adult and Juvenile Offender Reentry Resource Center (National Reentry Resource Center, NRRC). Collaboration with Other Federal Agencies BJA and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) are collaborating closely on the implementation of the Second Chance Act and will continue this partnership to ensure that both juvenile and adult reentry efforts are supported. Similarly, both BJA and OJJDP are working with the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) in support of the research and evaluation activities called for in the Second Chance Act. For more information on BJA’s implementation of the Second Chance Act initiatives and Frequently Asked Questions, visit BJA’s Second Chance Act web page at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/SecondChance.html. For additional information on juvenile reentry activities, visit OJJDP’s web site at www.ojjdp.gov/.

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