Second Chance Mentoring Project

The Second Chance Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-199) provides a comprehensive response to the increasing number of people who are released from prison and jail and returning to communities. There are currently over 2.3 million individuals serving time in federal and state prisons, and millions of people cycling through local jails every year. Ninety-five percent of all prisoners incarcerated today will eventually be released and will return to communities. The Second Chance Act will help ensure the transition individuals make from prison or jail to the community is safe and successful. Section 211 of the Act authorizes grants to nonprofit organizations and federally recognized Indian tribes that may be used for mentoring projects to promote the safe and successful reintegration into the community of individuals who have been incarcerated.

The Second Chance Act grant programs are designed to strengthen jurisdictions characterized by large numbers of returning offenders. 'Reentry' is not envisioned to be a specific program but rather an evidence-based process that begins with initial incarceration and ends with successful community reintegration, indicated by lack of recidivism. Per the Second Chance Act, funded mentoring projects should use validated and dynamic assessment tools to determine the risks and needs of offenders included in the project's target population. Program components must include mentoring adult offenders during incarceration, through transition back to the community, and post-release; transitional services to assist in the reintegration of offenders into the community; and training regarding offender and victims issues.

Applicant agencies/organizations are expected to demonstrate their capability to deliver or broker the provision of transitional services proposed to be offered in conjunction with the core mentoring component. Examples of 'transitional services' designed to increase success in reentry and thus reduce recidivism might include the establishment of a pre-release mentoring relationship, housing, education, substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, services to enhance family reunification, job training and readiness, and post-release case management.

The Spiritus Christi Prison Outreach, Inc. will use the FY 2009 Second Chance Act Mentoring Grants to Nonprofit Organizations funds to expand the current post release mentoring program. The Spiritus Christi Prison Outreach is a ministry of Spiritus Christi Church in the inner city of Rochester, New York. The organization has mentored men and women in prison and jail for the past 29 years. The grant funds will allow the organization to continue this mentoring process through transitional housing immediately available upon release. Peer mentoring support will be offered six times per year to all mentors. The post release mentoring programs will be offered to men and women returning to Monroe County who are 18 years and older, who have limited family support, qualify as homeless (DHS definition), have a history of chemical dependency abuse, qualify for outpatient treatment and 40% have a history of mental health issues. Assessment will be completed in the post release phase. If a person does not qualify as homeless and/or for outpatient chemical dependency programming, then they will remain in the post release program but not will not be entered or counted as part of the target population. The Spiritus Christi Prison Outreach currently offers post release mentoring programs to men and women solely from the Monroe County Correctional Facility. The funds will enable the organization to expand post release mentoring program to inmates in Orleans, Moravia, Albion and Groveland Correctional Facility. In addition to the services, the funding would be used to support a program coordinator position to recruit, train, supervise, and coordinate mentors and case managers.

CA/NCF