National Initiatives

These are just some of the national initiatives focused on investigating and addressing issues around prisoner reentry. To suggest an initiative for inclusion, please contact us at editors@reentrypolicy.org.

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Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI)

Coordinator: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice

Funding Sources: Education and Training Administration (U.S. Dept. of Labor), Bureau of Justice Assistance (U.S. Dept. of Justice), and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services)

SVORI is a comprehensive effort supported by the agencies described above, as well as the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which addresses both juvenile and adult populations of serious, high-risk offenders. It provides funding to develop, implement and enhance reentry strategies that will ensure the safety of the community and the reduction of serious, violent crime. Over $100 million has been awarded under this grant program to 68 sites, the vast majority of them state agencies. Technical assistance is also available to the grantees.

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Evaluation of the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative

Coordinator: Research Triangle Institute / Urban Institute

Funding Source: National Institute of Justice, US Department of Justice

Staff Contact: Susan Brumbaugh, Ph.D., Research Triangle Institute

With funding from the National Institute of Justice and in partnership with the Research Triangle Institute (RTI), the Urban Institute is conducting a multi-year comprehensive evaluation of the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative, a collaborative Federal effort to improve reentry outcomes along criminal justice, employment, education, health, and housing dimensions. The objective is to promote productive social roles and reduce the likelihood of a return to crime and imprisonment for released offenders. The evaluation consists of two phases: a one-year design and assessment period (Phase 1) and a four-year impact evaluation (Phase 2). The evaluation includes an implementation assessment, impact evaluation, and cost-benefit analysis.

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Reentry National Media Outreach Campaign

Coordinator: Outreach Extensions

Funding Source: Annie E. Casey Foundation and other private foundations

Staff Contact: Judy Ravitz, Outreach Extensions

The purpose of the Reentry National Media Outreach Campaign is to expand public awareness and dialogue, provide media-based resources, and work in partnership with key organizations engaged in local initiatives to strengthen families and neighborhoods. The campaign will facilitate discussion and decision making about solution-based reentry programs that foster public safety and support healthy communities. Products developed through this initiative include video modules highlighting innovative programs across the country and a resource guide describing the issue, relevant research and promising practices.

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Prisoner Reentry Policy Academy

Coordinator: National Governors Association

Funding Sources: Office of Assistant Secretary of Planning and Evaluations US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health and Center for Disease Control (CDC), and private foundations

Staff Contact: Thomas MacLellan, NGA

The goal of this Policy Academy is to facilitate the formation of a high-level inter-disciplinary work team (e.g., public safety, workforce, health and human services), under the governor's leadership, to develop a vision, strategy, and work plan regarding reentry. Following a national request for proposals, NGA selected teams from seven states to participate in its Policy Academy on reentry: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Idaho, Michigan, Georgia, and Virginia. NGA convenes a series of workshops for these state teams, which enables them to tap national expertise from "faculty members," share ideas, and learn from each others' efforts. State teams do not receive any direct funding support under this initiative.

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Reentry Roundtable

Coordinator: Urban Institute

Funding Sources: Various private foundations

Staff contact: Amy Solomon, UI

The Reentry Roundtable is an ongoing forum that brings together accomplished academics, experienced practitioners, community leaders, policymakers, advocates, and former prisoners. The goal of the Roundtable is to sharpen the nation's thinking on the issues of sentencing and prisoner reintegration, and to foster policy innovations that will improve outcomes for individuals, families, and communities. Since its inception in 2000, the Urban Institute has convened six meetings of the Roundtable. Initial meetings informed the development of a research agenda on prisoner reentry; subsequent discussions explored the nexus between reentry and the institutions of civil society, employment, public health and youth development. Subsequent roundtables are planned regarding the role of community policing in promoting successful reentry and the role of faith and faith institutions and prisoner reentry, and the connection between incarceration, reentry, and drug policy.

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Transition from Prison to the Community (TPCI)

Coordinator: Center for Effective Public Policy (CEPP)

Federal funding source: National Institute of Corrections, US Department of Justice

Staff contact: Peggy B. Burke, CEPP

The Transition from Prison to Community Initiative is a technical assistance effort of the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections. The goal of the initiative is to support state-level efforts to ensure the successful and crime-free transition of offenders as they complete their prison time and return to the community. The project seeks to bring together multiple stakeholders within the criminal justice system along with other agencies from the public and private sectors to work together to implement a model transition process.

CEPP has been supporting the project by working with collaborative teams in a number of states as they pursue implementation of the National Institute of Corrections transition model. CEPP's work includes assisting in the formation of a policy team, supporting and advising on local efforts to document current practice and assemble statistical information that accurately describes the returning offender population, along with its risks and needs. CEPP also supports the work of these teams in clarifying their vision, mission, and goals and in identifying targets of change that will bring their practices more in line with the National Institute of Corrections model.

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