GDC Recidivism Reduction Planning Project

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 recipient will use the funds to plan and implement an innovation evidence-based recidivism reduction program predicated on the framework of a comprehensive statewide strategic plan. The strategic plan is designed to optimize the states capacity to break the cycle of criminal recidivism by: (1) identifying effective strategies and implementation schedules; (2) coordinating the service delivery of various state government agencies, local communities, non-profits, and other stakeholders; (3) identifying established practice or policies that contribute to high recidivism rates either by preempting or restricting the flow of services to targeted offenders and communities; and (4) developing a plan and schedule for changing or amending relevant policies. A Reentry Task Force has been convened to provide leadership and oversight for this project and ensure statewide support, facilitate the development and implementation of a comprehensive strategic plan.

CA/NCF