Second Chance Act Adult Offender Reentry Demonstration Projects - Perceived Successes and Sustainability Strategies

• NCJ Number: 250614
• Author(s): Christine Lindquist; Janeen Buck Willison; Jennifer Hardison Walters; Pamela K. Lattimore
• Date Published: February 2017
• Length: 25 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2012-RY-BX-0001
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Evaluation; Program/Project Description; Program Description (Demonstrative)
• Award: Evaluation of the FY2011 Bureau of Justice Assistance Second Chance Act Adult Offender Reentry Demonstration Projects (Focus Area 2)

Annotation

This report - one in a series from the Cross-Site Evaluation of the FY 2011 Bureau of Justice Assistance Second Chance Act (SCA) Adult Offender Reentry Demonstration Projects - describes perceived systems-level outcomes attributed to the SCA funding and strategies for sustaining program operations.

Abstract

SCA funding apparently had a lasting impact on the grantee agencies and partner organizations. Programmatic and systems-level successes were attributed to grant-funded programming. These successes included 1) increased support for reentry work and reentry populations; 2) greater collaboration, communication, and information sharing among stakeholders involved in reentry services; 3) an improved reentry culture within corrections; 4) expanded use of evidence-based practices; 5) increased capacity of staff and community providers; 6) expansion of service provider networks; and 7) increased standardization and accountability. Prospects for sustaining at least some portions of the program implemented with SCA funding were promising in most grantee sites. Several sites considered their SCA-funded project to be models for expansion or replication. Strategies for sustainability included pursuing additional State, Federal, and foundation funding; leveraging partnerships to facilitate sustainability; and maximizing Medicaid reimbursement for services. Additional sustainability strategies used by jail-based sites included pursuing county funding and incorporating programming into thhe jail's operating budget. These study findings are based on information collected in 2015 through in-person semi-structured interviews with SCA staff and organizational partners, as well as telephone interviews conducted in 2016. 1 exhibit, 20 references, and appended reentry projects