An Overview of NIJ’s Second Chance Act Evaluations

• In Event: Understanding the Challenges and Successes of Offender Reentry – Interim Results from NIJ’s Second Chance Act Evaluations

Abstract

Due to the steady number of adults returning to their communities each year, offender reentry remains an integral component of the criminal justice system. In the past decade, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has continued to invest in examining the plight of those individuals who are likely to struggle with substance abuse, lack of adequate education and job skills, limited housing options, and mental health issues upon release. The Second Chance Act (SCA), signed into law in 2008, authorizes federal grants to government agencies and nonprofit organizations to provide support strategies and services designed to reduce recidivism by improving outcomes for people returning from prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities. To support this effort, NIJ has funded several multi-site, multi-year evaluations of the impact of the SCA on recidivism and reentry. This panel will highlight interim results from two of NIJ’s on-going Second Chance Act (SCA) Evaluations.

Author

• Marie Garcia, National Institute of Justice