Second Chance Reentry Pilot Enhancement

The Second Chance Act of 2007 provides a comprehensive response to the increasing number of people who are released from prison, jail and returning to communities, including resources to address the myriad of needs of these offenders to achieve a successful return to their communities. Section 201 of the Second Chance Act authorizes federal awards to states, units of local government, and Indian tribes to improve the provision of treatment to adult offenders in prisons and jails during the period of incarceration and through the completion of parole or other court supervision after release into the community.

The goal of Section 201 of the Second Chance Act is to provide support to eligible applicants 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 this program are to provide offenders with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders with appropriate evidence-based services—including addressing individual criminogenic needs—based on a reentry plan that relies on a risk and needs assessment that reflects the risk of recidivism for that offender. This includes treating co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders in prison and jail programs, providing recovery support services, reentry planning and programming, and post-release treatment and aftercare programming in the community through the completion of parole or court supervision.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation will utilize funds towards the Second Chance Reentry Pilot Enhancement (SCRPE). The purpose of the SCRPE is to properly screen and assess Pilot Participants who have a Co-Occurring Disorder (COD) and facilitate linkages to evidence-based, post-release COD treatment appropriate to address criminogenic risks and needs. The goals are to: (1) identify pilot participants who have a COD 120 days prior to release; (2) provide specialized COD reentry planning and support with special emphasis on housing, COD treatment, and medication assisted treatment (MAT); (3) ensure that all needed COD services are available within the targeted counties for each participant during transition; (4) improve crisis response/recidivism reduction at the community level; and (5) Medi-Cal enrollment for all project participants prior to release. This program will serve an estimated 600 inmates with COD.

CA/NCF