This report summarizes the features of 10 federal programs administered by the U.S. Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) that provide resources (funding. technical resources, and training) that support reentry programs and services for those released into a community after being incarcerated.
The Community-based Adult Reentry Program resourced under the federal Second Chance Act provides funding and technical assistance to nonprofit organizations and Indian tribes to partner with correctional agencies in providing critical transitional services to adults returning to a community from incarceration. A second program, the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, makes it possible for federally recognized tribes and tribal consortia to use a single application in accessing four U.S. Justice Department agencies in developing a comprehensive and coordinated approach to public safety and victimization. The Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program focuses on reducing the impact of substance abuse on the lives of persons released into the community from incarceration by supporting access to treatment and recovery services. The Improving Reentry Education and Employment Outcomes Program developed under the Second Chance Act, provides funding and technical assistance to state, local, and tribal governments, as well as nonprofit organizations for the purpose of expanding education and employment programs for persons recently released from incarceration. Other federal programs profiled provide resources for 1) performance-based and outcome-based contracts for reentry and permanent supportive housing services; 2) innovative cross-system collaboration to improve responses to and outcomes for reentering persons with mental health and substance-use disorders; 3) identification of the strengths and gaps in reentry systems and improvement in the overall approach to reentry; and 4) the use of collaborative problem-solving with stakeholders in the use of data- and research-informed reentry strategies that improve outcomes and reduce recidivism.