Michigan Department of Corrections 2017 Smart Reentry Program

The Second Chance Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-199) helps to address the significant challenges individuals who are returning to communities from prison, jail, and juvenile residential facilities face. 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).

This project will target approximately 300 male and female adult offenders ages 24 and younger, assessed as moderate to high risk on COMPAS (Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions) paroling, or reentering as a probationer, to the city of Detroit, who have at least 1 child or who have a parent who has been incarcerated. This project seeks to reduce recidivism and interrupt the intergenerational cycle of incarceration by enhancing education and vocational training and social support. This project will achieve these goals by developing and maintaining a data tracking system of cross-system resources at the state and local level and across criminal justice, workforce development and human services systems, develop pathways to career job opportunities for returning offenders and eligible children, and provide supportive services and case planning.

CA/NCF