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Public Criminology: Charting the Course from Evidence to Action

Learning from Doing Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Second Chance Act Grant Program

April 2022

Reauthorized in 2018, the Second Chance Act (SCA) aims to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes for people returning from state and federal prisons, local jails, and juvenile facilities through the provision of federal grants. During this panel, National Institute of Justice-funded researchers will detail two ongoing evaluations of the SCA grant program:

  1. An evaluation of the effectiveness of the SCA grant program per Title V of the First Step Act.
  2. A longitudinal examination of the long-term impacts of the SCA program.

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The Eyes Have It

Date Published
October 2006
Agencies
NIJ-Sponsored
Publication Type
Program/Project Evaluation

Cell Phones in Prison

June 2010

Criminals are using cell phones illegally in prisons and jails to conduct their business and intimidate witnesses. Although technology solutions to this problem are available, they can create new challenges, such as legal and implementation issues associated with cell phone use in correctional facilities. Panelists will discuss various aspects to consider from how prisoners use cell phones, to day-to-day and operational aspects, to legal and regulatory concerns.

Transcript
Cell Phones in Prison
Audio file
1 of 7: Cell Phones in Prison, Ellen Scrivner, National Institute of Justice , 2 of 7: Cell Phones in Prison, Gary D. Maynard, Secretary, Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Service , 3 of 7: Cell Phones in Prison, Harley Lappin, Director, Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Department of Justice , 4 of 7: Cell Phones in Prison, Aaron D. Kennard, Executive Director, National Sheriffs' Association , 5 of 7: Cell Phones in Prison, James Arden Barnett, Jr., Chief, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, Federal Communication Commission , 6 of 7: Cell Phones in Prison, Larry D. Atlas, Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary, Office of the Assistant Secretary, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Washington, D.C. , 7 of 7: Cell Phones in Prison, Question and Answer Session

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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