New York State Prisoner Reentry Initiative

The Prisoner Reentry Initiative (PRI) is designed to provide funding to state units of government to develop and implement institutional and community corrections-based offender reentry programs. The PRI strengthens urban communities characterized by large numbers of returning offenders. The PRI is designed to reduce recidivism by helping returning offenders find work and assess other critical services in their communities. The PRI supports strategies to deliver pre- and post-release assessments and services, and to develop transition plans in collaboration with other justice and community-based agencies and providers for supervised and non-supervised offenders.
In FY 2008, BJA will again coordinate the PRI Program with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The design of the FY 2008 PRI Program is structured to work in conjunction with a DOL-selected faith ' or community-based organization (FBCO).

The New York State Division of Parole in collaboration with the Department of Correctional Services, through the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, will utilize fiscal year 2008 Prisoner Reentry Initiative funding to support enhanced pre-release screening, transitional planning, and employment readiness programs for inmates residing in the western region of the state, with the ultimate goal of reducing the failure rate of offenders as they transition back into the community. Services anticipated to be provided includes: comprehensive vocational skills and soft skills assessments, job-seeking workshops and training, job identification activities, case management services, and referrals to ancillary services. A partnership with the Buffalo Urban League, a local community-based organization, will be developed in order to provide these services to approximately 200-parolees during the award period.

CA/NCF