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

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.

Speakers:

• Marie Garcia, Senior Social Science Analyst, Office of the Director, National Institute of Justice
• William J. Sabol, Ph.D., Principal Investigator & Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Georgia State University
• Elizabeth Beck, Ph.D., Co-Investigator, Professor in the School of Social Work, Georgia State University
• Carrie Markovitz, Ph.D., Principal Investigator & Principal Research Scientist, NORC
• Andrew Wiegand, Ph.D., Co-Investigator, President, Social Policy Research Associates