Second Chance Project

The Second Chance Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-199) helps to address these significant challenges by providing comprehensive responses to the significant number of incarcerated adults who are returning to communities from prison, jail, and juvenile residential facilities. Programs funded under the Second Chance Act help to promote public safety by ensuring that the transition individuals make from prison and jail to the community is successful. Section 211 of the Act authorizes grants to nonprofit organizations and federally recognized Indian tribes that may be used for comprehensive wrap-around services/programs which incorporate the use of trained mentors to promote the safe and successful reintegration into the community of adults who have been incarcerated.

The Comprehensive Community-Based Adult Reentry Program Utilizing Mentors is aimed at promoting more effective and successful reentry for formerly incarcerated individuals through the utilization of comprehensive, evidence-based wrap-around reentry plans which address the identified needs of the individuals and are supported by trained mentors. These needs are often related to housing, employment, substance abuse, and mental health.

The grant recipient will use the grant to support a comprehensive reentry mentoring program. The program will recruit and train 24 peer mentors, and serve 256 participants. The program participants will receive pre- and post- release mentoring, transitional services, case management and job development. Services will include counseling, HIV education, mentoring, case management, individualized service planning, vocational assessment, job placement and referral, assistance with housing placement, public benefits counseling and access to health insurance. Collectively, these strategies will serve to reduce recidivism.

CA/NCF