Benton HOPE Probation Demonstration Field Project

The Second Chance Act of 2007 provides a comprehensive response to the increasing number of people who are released from prison and jail and returning to communities, including resources to address the myriad needs of these offenders to achieve a successful return to their communities. Under the Second Chance Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-199, Sec 245), the Honest Opportunity Probation and Enforcement (HOPE) Demonstration Field Experiment (DFE) provides funding to states, units of local government, territories, and federally recognized Indian tribes (as determined by the Secretary of the Interior) in an effort to enhance public safety and to improve the outcomes of probationers.

BJA and the National Institute of Justice(NIJ) are supporting this multisite Demonstration Field Experiment (DFE) in an effort to enhance public safety and to improve the outcomes of probationers. This DFE will combine a multisite demonstration of the Hawaii HOPE model with a rigorous experimental evaluation in an applied setting. This DFE will consist of a randomized controlled trial (RCT), in which the costs associated with program implementation will be funded by BJA, and costs associated with the evaluation will be funded by NIJ.

The grant recipient will utilize SCA funds to develop a community-based probation program that utilizes alternative, proven, evidence- based supervision techniques and sanctions to initiate corrections reform while successfully monitoring the probation offender population.

CA/NCF