2008 Prisoner Reentry Initiative (PRI)

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 Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) will use its FY 2008 Prisoner Reentry Initiative (PRI) grant funds to reduce revocation, relapse, and recidivism of 200 ex-offenders in a targeted area of Phoenix, as well as identify and validate service delivery strengths and gaps, analyze program outcomes, and develop a replicable business model for ADC Community Corrections. The PRI grant will add specific reentry services, programming, and staffing to the current Legacy Project, including bus transportation, electronic monitoring, sanctions, educational and vocational training, and pre-release cognitive behavioral instruction to inmates. In addition, 60 days of transitional housing will be provided to those individuals in need.

The ADC will contract with a Faith-Based and/or Community-Based Organization (FBCO) to provide post-release cognitive-based programming to at least 100 ex-offenders. The ADC will coordinate with the FBCO in selecting the acceptable level of risk of offenders referred, and will monitor their security risk level as they participate in the program. The grantee will establish a multi-disciplinary Advisory Group to plan and implement the project. The ADC will assess the grant's progress through recidivism and revocation rates, as well as successful completions of community supervision and warrants issued for absconding.

CA/NCF