As the designated technical assistance provider for the Second Chance Act (SCA) program, National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC) staff work with a network of partners dedicated to the success of your project, including:

1. The federal agency that awarded your grant. Each grantee has a dedicated grant program manager at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). Your grant manager—a BJA state policy advisor—is identified in your grant award documentation. Your BJA grant manager is available to help you navigate the grant management process, including award acceptance, budget approval, and grant management requirements, and can also help answer questions such as:
   • How do I make changes to the scope of my project?
   • How do I make changes to the budget submitted with our application
   • How do I access the Justice Department’s grant management system?
2. The federal training and technical support team that manages the Performance Measurement Tool system. You will soon hear from the BJA Performance Measurement Tool (PMT) Helpdesk who manages the training and technical aspects of BJA’s PMT. As a BJA grantee, you will be required to provide performance data and other updates on your progress regularly throughout your grant. More information about the PMT, including sample performance measures for your grant program, is available at https://bjapmt.ojp.gov. A representative from the BJA PMT Helpdesk, available at [email protected] or 1-888-252-6867, can also answer questions such as:
   • What kind of data will I be required to provide?
   • How do I access the PMT system?
   • Who do I contact if I’m having trouble entering my data?

You have been assigned to a National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC) technical assistance provider. Your NRRC contact is available at any time to answer questions, and will reach out regularly to assist you in completing your Planning and Implementation Guide, follow the progress of your project, and offer guidance and support. Your NRRC contact was provided in the initial email you received from the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center. If you are uncertain who is your NRRC contact, please contact Angela Tolosa, deputy program director for reentry at CSG Justice Center, at [email protected] or 646-383-5744.

The National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC) provides technical assistance to help grantees make the most of their federal grant dollars to support sustainable, successful, and evidence-based reentry initiatives. Since the NRRC was launched in 2009, it has provided support to each of the more than 600 Second Chance Act (SCA) grantees—a variety of state, local, and tribal government agencies, as well as nonprofit organizations—that offer a range of services to various adult and juvenile target populations. Despite differences among programs, the technical assistance available from the NRRC focuses on four key components that reflect federal priorities for the SCA grant program:

1. The formation of strong, collaborative relationships at the state and local level, across all branches of government, and among service systems to plan and implement comprehensive approaches to improving reentry policies and practices.
2. The integration of rigorous practices to:
   • measure progress on reducing recidivism rates and improving other reentry outcomes;
   • analyze data;
   • share essential information with policymakers and practitioners; and
   • use data to guide reentry policy, practice, and resource allocation.
3. The adoption and effective implementation of core principles and practices demonstrated by research to reduce recidivism and improve other reentry outcomes, including an emphasis on the principles of Risk, Need, and Responsivity.
4. The development of reentry programs, policies, and practices that are sustainable, replicable, and foster long-term improvements to reentry recidivism rates and other reentry outcomes.

Each grantee is assigned to a member of the NRRC reentry program staff (i.e., a technical assistance provider) who will provide support throughout the course of the grant. Your NRRC contact will provide technical assistance that responds to the unique opportunities, challenges, and objectives of your grant program and your proposed grant activities. Below are just a few examples of the assistance available through the NRRC.

Your National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC) contact will reach out to you to schedule a preliminary phone call to discuss your grant activities and orient you to the NRRC. He or she will regularly provide information about training, distance learning, and funding opportunities. In addition to the information you receive from your NRRC contact, the NRRC also distributes a monthly newsletter that provides information about the latest reentry news and research, as well as information about other reentry initiatives from around the country. We encourage the staff and partners associated with each Second Chance Act (SCA) grant to sign up for the NRRC newsletter at csgjusticecenter.org. For information on juvenile justice-specific topics, be sure to select "reentry" as a topic of interest.

Representatives from the National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC) conduct site visits on a case-by-case basis. Though most grantees receive at least one visit, more intensive system-reform planning grantees may receive more than one visit. Through site visits, the NRRC staff are able to conduct an in-depth review of programs, provide training and facilitation to help grantees address pressing challenges, and, in some circumstances, provide on-site access to expert consultants focusing on specific areas of interest. Your NRRC contact will work with you to determine whether and when a site visit may be helpful to advance your project.