Adult Reentry Education, Employment, Treatment, and Recovery Program (FY 2021)

This program provides funding under the Second Chance Act to develop a strategic plan for integrating correctional and employment programming/systems and/or establishing, expanding, and improving treatment for people with substance use disorders during incarceration and in order to help facilitate the successful reintegration of offenders returning to communities after a prison or jail sentence.

There are three solicitation categories under this program:

  • Improving Correctional Education
  • Improving Vocational and Employment Services
  • Improving Substance Use Disorder Treatment Services

Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables

Goals

Category 1: Improving Correctional Education

  • Improve the academic and vocational education programs available to offenders in prisons and jails.

Category 2: Improving Employment Services and Connections

  • Provide career training, including subsidized employment, when part of a training program, to prisoners and reentering adults.

Category 3: Improving Substance Use Treatment Services and Supports for Adults with Substance Use Disorders

  • Enhance corrections systems’ ability to address the substance use treatment needs of offenders in order to reduce recidivism, promote recovery, and, in the process, to improve public safety and public health.

Objectives

Category 1:

  • Implement or expand educational and vocational programs for incarcerated adults that result in improved educational outcomes, as measured by literacy attainment, high school equivalence, high school and higher education diplomas, certifications, and other credentials.
  • Demonstrate increased collaboration between educational providers and corrections, community supervision providers, and other reentry stakeholders.

Category 2:

  • Implement or expand job readiness assessments, individualized case plans, and employment-related services for incarcerated adults that result in improved job readiness, employment attainment, and retention.

Category 3:

  • Improve the provision of substance use disorder treatment to people in prisons and jails, through the reentry process, including during a period of parole or court supervision if applicable.
  • Provide prison-based family treatment programs for incarcerated parents of minor children or pregnant women.
  • Note: the target population for services under Category 3 can include people with substance use disorders as well as people with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders.

Deliverables

All Categories

  • Development of an action plan with input from BJA and an assigned technical assistance coach, submitted within 6 months of receiving final budget approval.
  • A final report at the end of the project period.

For more information, see the most recent BJA grant solicitation and materials.