The U.S. Department of Justice is awarding nearly $100 million in its Second Chance Act Community-Based Reentry program. “The investments we are making today will help us ensure that individuals returning home are in the best position to succeed," said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. The grants will support a wide range of services for people who come into contact with the criminal and juvenile justice systems and for those leaving prisons, jails and youth confinement. They support education and employment activities, support incarcerated parents of minor children, advance evidence-based community supervision and protect incarcerated individuals from sexual assault.
Nearly 550,000 people were released from state and federal prisons in 2020. Yearly releases from local jails are estimated in the millions. More than 36,000 youth are in residential placement. An interagency Alternatives and Reentry Committee is developing a strategic plan for reforms on the federal, state and local levels. In one award, $16.5 million will go to community-based nonprofit service providers to implement or expand reentry programs that demonstrate strong partnerships with corrections, parole, probation and other reentry service providers. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is awarding $12.2 million to reduce recidivism among youth returning to their communities after confinement and under community supervision.