City of Newark Smart Reentry 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 101 of the Second Chance Act authorizes federal awards to state and local governments and federally recognized Indian tribal governments 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.

BJA’s “Smart Suite” of programs invest in the development of practitioner-researcher partnerships that use data, evidence, and innovation to create strategies and interventions that are effective and economical. The goal of the Smart Reentry: Focus on Evidence-based Strategies for Successful Reentry from Incarceration to Community program is to support jurisdictions to develop and implement comprehensive and collaborative strategies that address the challenges posed by reentry to increase public safety and reduce recidivism for individuals reentering communities from incarceration who are at medium to high risk for recidivating. Within the context of this initiative, “reentry” is not envisioned to be a specific program, but rather a process that begins when the individual is first incarcerated (pre-release) and ends with her or her successful community reintegration and reduction in risk of recidivism (post release).

The grantee will use the grant to implement an innovative mentoring initiative using an evidence-based and strengths-based mentoring approach. Services will include pre-release services including intensive case management, group therapy and mentoring. Post-release, the participants will receive intensive case management, six months of transitional employment, job training and individual and group mentoring, and mental health treatment. The target goal is to serve 75 men between the ages of 18-24. Collectively, these strategies will serve to reduce recidivism.

CA/NCF