Announcement for 03/13/09

Toolkit for Second Chance Act Reentry Demonstration Project Grant Applicants

The Council of State Governments Justice Center has developed a toolkit for state and local governments and Indian tribes interested in responding to the solicitation for state and local reentry demonstration projects released on February 27, 2009, by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), U.S. Department of Justice. The toolkit, developed with support from the Public Welfare Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Joyce Foundation, and Open Society Institute, includes materials that can help potential applicants think through the questions asked in the solicitation and design or enhance their reentry initiative. Those that are currently available are:

1. A checklist that will help state and local governments and Indian tribes meet application requirements under Section 101 of the Second Chance Act (PDF)

   NOTE: The checklist is intended solely to assist applicants for state and local reentry demonstration project grants. A fact sheet on the grants for nonprofit organizations and Indian tribes for mentoring and other transitional services is available here.

2. A resource guide listing publications, reports, and tools that may be helpful in developing a successful reentry initiative (PDF)
   

Additional resources are forthcoming.

The toolkit is not part of the grant solicitation. Potential applicants should carefully read the BJA solicitation, which describes forms that must be completed and all criteria that must be met to be eligible for Section 101 demonstration grant funding. The toolkit materials, as well as other reentry resources and information on the Second Chance Act, are available on the Reentry Policy Council website.

The Justice Center will hold a webinar to help potential applicants understand the BJA solicitation for state and local reentry demonstration projects and get the most out of the resources in the toolkit. The webinar will be held on March 19, 2009, at 2 P.M. Eastern Time. The webinar is free, but only the first 1,000 people to register will be able to participate. Click here to register for the webinar. The webinar presentation, including audio, will be posted on the Reentry Policy Council website after March 19.

Coming Soon: Second Chance Act Grants for Youth Reentry Demonstration Projects and Nonprofit Organizations

The solicitation released by BJA on February 27 requests applications from state and local governments and Indian tribes for reentry demonstration projects that focus on adult populations only. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice, is expected to release a solicitation soon for demonstration projects targeting youth populations under Section 101 of the Second Chance Act. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is also expected to release the solicitation for grants to nonprofit organizations and Indian tribes for mentoring and other transitional services authorized by Section 211 of the Second Chance Act soon. A fact sheet about the Section 211 grants is available here.

To be notified when these solicitations are released and new Justice Center resources become available, subscribe to the Reentry Policy Council listserv.

FY09 Omnibus Includes $25 Million for Second Chance Act Programs in Fiscal Year 2009

On March 11, 2009, President Obama signed into law an omnibus appropriations bill for the remainder of fiscal year 2009 that provides $25 million for Second Chance Act programs, including $15 million for state and local reentry demonstration projects and $10 million for grants to nonprofit organizations for mentoring and other transitional services.

Congress will now turn its attention to appropriations for FY2010, which actually begins on October 1, 2009. In the preliminary budget for FY2010 released in February, President Obama requested $109 million for prisoner reentry programs, including $75 million for Second Chance Act programs. A national reentry working group is leading the effort to secure funding for the Second Chance Act for FY2010. The working group is circulating a sign-on letter asking Congress to provide at least $75 million for Second Chance Act programs in FY2010.

"We have all worked so hard to get this legislation passed, but we know it will not accomplish what it is intended to do without sufficient funding. We must encourage policy makers to appropriate the needed funds," said working group member Jane Browning of the International Community Corrections Association. According to fellow working group member Gene Guerrero of the Open Society Policy Center, "it is important for organizations that support the Second Chance Act and federal funding for reentry programs to sign this letter of support."

Organizations that want to sign the letters should email scainfo@csg.org by Monday, March 16.

All Announcements for March 2009