Project R.O.C.A. (Reentry Offenders in Community Adjustment)

The purpose of the Innovations in Reentry Initiative (IRI): Reducing Recidivism Through Systems Improvement is to provide local jurisdictions and Indian tribes with the resources and training and technical assistance (TTA) necessary to identify assets and gaps in their local reentry systems and to develop capacity and partnerships with other justice agencies to provide services that prevent recidivism, reduce crime, and improve public safety in their jurisdictions.

IRI is part of BJA’s Innovations in Public Safety portfolio, also known as the “Innovations Suite.” The Innovations Suite of programs invests in the development of practitioner-researcher partnerships that use data, evidence, and innovation to create strategies that are effective and economical. This data-driven approach enables jurisdictions to understand the full nature and extent of the crime challenges they face and to direct resources to the highest priorities. Successful partnerships between practitioners and researchers require investments of planning, time, communication, complementary skills, and adequate resources.

The overall objective of the IRI is to support the development and implementation of comprehensive and collaborative reentry strategies to reduce recidivism among reentering offenders who are at medium to high risk for recidivating and to improve public safety.

The recipient will utilize grant funds for Project ROCA (Reentry Offenders in Community Adjustment), which focusses on the region’s hardest to serve young offenders. The project partners will work both behind the fence and in the community to offer opportunities for sustained, long-term behavior change that will result in a reduction in criminal thinking, criminal behaviors and recidivism, and an increase in sustained employment. This will include the examination of a variety of options for developmentally appropriate services, including the addition of at least two services for our highest risk young offenders: 1) targeted correctional counseling while incarcerated; and 2) the delivery of a long-term, cognitive behavioral intervention in the community, both focused on a healthy, sustainable and safe transition to the community.

CA/NCF