BJA FY 15 Second Chance Act Technology-Based Career Training Program for Incarcerated Adults and Juveniles

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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 2.2 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 people incarcerated today will eventually be released and will return to communities. Programs funded under the Second Chance Act help ensure that the transition individuals make from prison and jail to the community is successful and promotes public safety. Securing employment can facilitate successful reentry for people leaving correctional facilities. However, there are many barriers people with criminal records encounter as they attempt to re-enter both the community and the workforce. Improving employment outcomes for this population can contribute to recidivism reduction and increased public safety. Section 115 of the Second Chance Act authorizes federal awards to states, units of local government, territories, and federally recognized Indian tribes to provide technology-based career training to persons confined in state prisons, local jails, tribal jails, and juvenile residential facilities. This program supports training for technology-related jobs and the continuum of reentry transition planning including education, training, support services, and building connections to local employers that will enable participants to secure employment prerelease.

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