Arkansas Statewide Reentry Planning Program

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 recipient will use grant funds to initiate the Statewide Reeentry Planning Program. The planning program is a collaborative effort to aid in the development of a state wide reentry plan that will provide pre-and post-release services and support offenders. The program goals are to reduce recidivism, ensure public safety and allow for successful integration. The target population will include returning offenders that are within 3 months to 1 year of being released from prison and also include offenders with reintegration needs that are particularly difficult to address.
CA/NCF