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Second Chance Act (SCA)

Second Chance Act: What Have We Learned About Reentry Programs So Far?

June 2013

Interview with Ron D'Amico, Social Policy Research Associates. Offender reentry into the community is a pressing social problem. The number of inmates released every year from the nation's prisons increased fourfold over the past three decades.

Since the Second Chance Act (SCA) was passed in 2008, more than $250 million has been awarded to government agencies and non-profits for programs to help offenders successfully reenter society. NIJ is doing an in-depth study of 10 sites to determine the effectiveness of these reentry programs.

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NIJ FY 13 Study of the Use of Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners Program Funds on Aftercare Services

Closing Date
NIJ seeks proposals for a study of the use of funds on aftercare services by the Department of Justice under the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Program. The RSAT for State Prisoners Program funds formula grants to all 56 States and U.S. territories for support of residential, jail-based, and aftercare treatment services delivered to offenders with substance abuse problems by State and local providers. In...

NIJ FY 12 Evaluation of the FY 2010 Bureau of Justice Assistance Second Chance Act Adult Offender Reentry Demonstration Projects

Closing Date

This solicitation seeks proposals to examine the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Second Chance Act (SCA) adult offender reentry demonstration projects funded in Fiscal Year (FY) 2010. The specific focus areas under this solicitation include: (1) an evaluability assessment of eight adult offender reentry demonstration projects (anticipates one award of up to $400,000) and; (2) a comprehensive evaluation of eight adult offender reentry demonstration projects.

NIJ FY 12 Evaluation of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention FY 2010 Second Chance Act Juvenile Offender Reentry Demonstration Projects

Closing Date

NIJ seeks proposals for a comprehensive evaluation of up to five juvenile offender demonstration projects funded under the Second Chance Act of 2007. This solicitation seeks to award a grant to measure the processes, outcomes, costs, and impacts of the juvenile offender reentry programs that received funding in FY 2010 from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), and to assess the effectiveness...

NIJ FY 10 ORE Evaluation of the Bureau of Justice Assistance Demonstration Field Experiment Sites: A Test of What Works in Reentry Research

Closing Date
As part of a collaborative effort with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to implement and rigorously test important criminal justice interventions and programs, NIJ seeks proposals to support a randomized controlled trial program evaluation as part of a multi-site Demonstration Field Experiment (DFE) on prisoner reentry. The rigorous multi-site DFE is part of NIJ's reentry evaluation activities supported with funding under the Second Chance...

NIJ FY 10 ORE Evaluation of the Bureau of Justice Assistance Second Chance Act: FY2010 State, Tribal, and Local Reentry Courts Program

Closing Date
NIJ seeks applications for a multi-site process and outcome evaluation of the State, Tribal, and Local Reentry Courts Program to be funded by BJA in FY2010 under the Second Chance Act of 2007 (SCA). The SCA supports a comprehensive response to the increasing number of people who are released from jail and prison into communities and the subsequent challenges communities face as offenders attempt to...

NIJ FY 10 ORE Evaluation of the Bureau of Justice Assistance Second Chance Act Adult Demonstration Projects

Closing Date
NIJ seeks applications for a comprehensive outcome and impact evaluation of the selected adult demonstration projects funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Second Chance Act of 2007. The Second Chance Act of 2007 was signed into law on April 9, 2008, with the goal of increasing reentry programming for offenders returning to their families and respective communities. This solicitation seeks to fund...