Project Blue Extension

The Second Chance Act Evaluation Participation Support program will provide support jurisdictions’ participation in an evaluation of their Second Chance Act-funded programs. This solicitation is a companion to the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ’s) “Assessing the Effectiveness of the Second Chance Act Grant Program: A Phased Evaluation Approach” solicitation that seeks organizations to apply to serve as evaluators of the Second Chance Act programs. This program furthers the Department’s mission by supporting NIJ in fulfilling the statutory mandate set forth in The Second Chance Act Reauthorization Act of 2018 to evaluate the Second Chance Act grant program in order to further enhance the knowledge base of what works in offender reentry programming.

The recipients are current or former SCA grantees that are running reentry programs with clearly defined interventions and are ready for a randomized controlled trial and rigorous evaluation, per NIJ’s expectations. Selected grantees will receive funds to support their participation in the NIJ evaluation and can use funds to support tasks related to the evaluation, including but not limited to: data collection and extraction or a program coordinator to ensure successful collaboration among key partners.

The objectives of this award are as follows: provide consistent oversight to ensure the intervention is implemented with fidelity; coordinate with NIJ-funded evaluator(s), including providing the necessary qualitative and quantitative data; and ensure conditions are maintained to meet NIJ’s expectations for the execution of a successful randomized control trial study.

The recipient will use award funds to evaluate Project Blue (2018-CY-BX-0012, Community Reentry) which seeks to address recidivism at a more localized level, prior to state involvement. Project Blue’s innovative approach provides comprehensive reentry services, beginning inside the local jail and completing after successful community reintegration. Participants are medium to high risk individuals, ages 18 and older, incarcerated as adults, who are jailed inside the Erie County Correctional Facility and Erie County Holding Center. Priority will be given to violent and/or repeat offenders. Services include but are not limited to: case management, housing coordination, cognitive behavioral therapies, mentoring, and entitlement support services as well as substance abuse, medical, mental health, education, and employment linkages through community-based partners.

CA/NCF