Alabama's Justice Reinvestment Strategy to Reduce Recidivism Statewide

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 correctional agencies (state departments of corrections or community corrections) or State Administering Agencies (SAAs), 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 goal of this program is to assist state teams in developing statewide recidivism reduction strategic plans. The objectives for the Second Chance Act Statewide Adult Recidivism Reduction Strategic Planning Program are to: (1) identify drivers of recidivism in the state; (2) identify a target population and recidivism reduction goals for the state; (3) review the alignment of existing corrections programs and practices with evidence-based practices; and (4) develop a strategic plan to meet statewide recidivism reduction goals using evidence-based practices.

The recipient’s strategy involves investing resources into community supervision and stopping the in-and-out prison cycle by prioritizing services, evidence-based programming, and cognitive behavioral treatment to those offenders who most need them, while equipping offenders with the tools to live and thrive after release. The Governor’s Office will provide oversight and accountability through a data driven and the implementation of a Statewide Reentry Council (SRC) with including strategies to measure performance and ensure the success of the state’s investment. The SRC will establish and report recommendations to build upon success while helping guide long term policy.

CA/NCF