Preparing At-Risk Youth for 21st Century Basic Computer Technology Careers

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. The Second Chance Act will help ensure that the transition individuals make from prison, jail, or juvenile residential facilities to the community is successful and promotes public safety. Section 115 of the Second Chance Act authorizes the U.S. Attorney General to make federal awards to states, units of local government, territories, and federally recognized Indian tribes to provide technology career training to persons confined in state prisons, local jails, and juvenile residential facilities.

The goal of the Second Chance Act Technology Careers Training Demonstration Projects for Incarcerated Adults and Juveniles is to increase the post-release employability of offenders in related technology-based jobs and career fields. The objective of the program is to establish and provide technology career training programs to train incarcerated adults and juveniles during the 3-year period before release from a prison, jail, or juvenile facility.

The grant recipient will use the FY 2011 SCA funds to support a technology career program that will provide basic technology careers education, training, work experience and reentry counseling to 60 male youth. The target population will include the highest-risk Felony-level offenders committed to the Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS) from the juvenile court of Franklin County.

CA/NCF