Ohio Rural Recidivism Reduction Planning 2013

The Second Chance Act (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 Programs are designed to help communities develop and implement comprehensive and collaborative strategies that address the challenges posed by offender reentry and recidivism reduction.

Section 101 of the Second Chance Act authorizes federal awards to states that may be used for demonstration projects to promote the safe and successful reintegration into the community of individuals who have been incarcerated or detained and reduce overall recidivism rates. The goal of Section 101 of the Second Chance Act is to provide support to eligible applicants, in this case state departments of corrections, for the development and implementation of comprehensive and collaborative strategies that address the challenges posed by reentry to increase public safety and reduce recidivism. The objectives of the Comprehensive Statewide Adult Recidivism Reduction Planning Program are to fund, at the state level, effective strategies for reducing recidivism and enhancing public safety which incorporate the following principles: (1) focus on the people most likely to commit more crimes; (2) use evidenced-based programs proven to work and ensure the delivery of services is high quality; (3) deploy supervision policies and practices that balance sanctions and treatment; and (4) target places where crime and recidivism rates are the highest.

The grant funds will be used to support the "Rural Recidivism Reduction Planning Initiative" intended to expand and replicate the "Ohio Rural Recidivism Reduction Project" (OR3). The planning efforts will continue the investment in local reentry coalitions and community partnerships, align evidence-based strategies, enhance and incentivize service delivery, and incorporate a behavioral health framework. The planning will begin with the formation of a Task Force which will engage in strategic planning. The OR3 reentry model will remain focused on decreasing recidivism and the funds will provide an opportunity to enhance this model. Specifically, the grant recipient will facilitate efforts to secure enduring partnerships, form new relationships where transitional gaps in the reentry transition, and embed the latest research towards a holistic model to address the unique challenges of rural reentry.

CA/NCF