This Fact Sheet from the U.S. Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) summarizes three current federal investments under the 2018 reauthorized Second Chance Act (SCA) intended to help adults and juveniles returning to their communities after confinement receive needed education and employment services.
The FY 2018 Adult Reentry and Employment Strategic Planning Program (ARES) supports jurisdictions in developing strategic plans that are comprehensive, collaborative, and multisystemic in their approach. The FY 2020 Correctional Adult Reentry Education, Employment, and Recidivism Reduction Strategies Program (CAREERRS) help state, local, and tribal government agencies and nonprofit organizations implement and expand educational, vocational, and job training programs in their correctional systems. These programs address employment challenges facing youth and adults reentering the community and the workforce after incarceration. The purpose of the FY 2021 Adult Reentry Education, Employment, Treatment, and Recovery Program is to establish, expand, and improve treatment for people with substance use disorders during incarceration and to help facilitate the successful reintegration of people returning to the community after a prison or jail sentence.