BJA FY 15 Second Chance Act Two-Phase Adult Reentry Demonstration Program: Planning and Implementation

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There are currently over 2.2 million individuals serving time in federal and state prisons, and millions of people cycle through local jails every year. Of those in state and federal prison, approximately 95 percent will be released and return to communities across the nation. A majority of these individuals have needs that, if unaddressed in prison, during the reentry process, and after release, will negatively impact their ability to live productive, prosocial, crime-free lives in the community. When inmates are released from prison, they face a myriad of challenges, including finding housing and employment, combating substance abuse, and addressing physical and mental health problems. Without community-based support, they are less likely to return back to their communities with the means to address these challenges, and thus will be more likely to offend again. While members of Native American tribes who are incarcerated possess similar needs, addressing them successfully can be particularly challenging because members of tribal communities return from federal, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), state, local, and tribal facilities. In addition to the difficulties associated with the coordination of services for individuals returning from these diverse facilities, services to address the various needs of the formerly incarcerated often do not exist on tribal lands. The Second Chance Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-199) helps to address these significant challenges by providing comprehensive responses to the significant number of incarcerated adults who are returning to communities from prison, jail, and juvenile residential facilities. Programs funded under the Second Chance Act help to promote public safety by ensuring that the transition individuals make from prison and jail to the community is successful. Section 101 of the Second Chance Act authorizes federal awards to state and local governments and federally recognized Indian tribes that may be used for demonstration projects to promote the safe and successful reintegration into the community of individuals who have been incarcerated or detained. Funding for this program is authorized under FY 2015 Department of Justice appropriation.

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