RPC Newsletter - 12/15/2008
FEATURES
Cities across the Country Incorporate Employment-Focused Strategies into Crime-Fighting Initiatives
Despite a general nationwide downturn in reported crime since the early 1990s, police departments and local newspapers in some cities across the country reported in 2007 and 2008 that the per capita violent crime rate in their jurisdictions has begun to creep up; in some areas the rate has increased significantly. To reduce crime, local elected officials have unveiled new crime-fighting strategies that include employment initiatives targeting people with criminal records.
HILL UPDATE
Second Chance Grant Solicitation Scheduled for Release, March 2009
The Department of Justice is scheduled to release the solicitation for the Second Chance Act grants to state and local government (sec. 101) on March 23, 2009, with applications due by May 21, 2009. The solicitation for the grants to nonprofit organizations (sec. 211) is expected to be released early next year as well.
ANNOUNCEMENTS & EVENTS
Assessing Adult Women OffendersNational Institute of Corrections
December 19, 2008
Web-based
Occasional Series on Reentry Research: The Impact of Reentry Services on Juvenile Offenders' Recidivism
Prisoner Reentry Institute at John Jay CollegeJanuary 16, 2009
New York, NY
2009 Defendant/Offender Workforce Development Conference
National Career Development AssociationApril 5-8, 2009
Pittsburgh, PA
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners Program
The Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice, is seeking applications for funding under the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners Program. This program furthers the Department's mission by assisting state, local, and tribal efforts to break the cycle of drugs and violence by reducing the demand for, use, and trafficking of illegal drugs.
Application Deadline: December 18, 2008
Local Young Offender Planning Grants, State/Local Juvenile Offender Implementation Grants, and an Intermediary Juvenile Reentry Grant
The Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, announced a three-category, $17.3 million competition through which selected localities will develop strategies to assist youth offenders returning from correctional facilities. These grants are targeted toward serving young people who have never been involved with the adult criminal system. Projects funded through these grants will create employment, education, mentoring, civic, and other services, to help young people becoming effective citizens.
Application Deadline: December 18, 2008
National Study of Collateral Consequences for Criminal Convictions
The National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, is seeking applications for funding proposals for a national study that will provide a comprehensive compilation of federal and state collateral consequences for criminal convictions. This program furthers the Department's mission by sponsoring research to provide objective, independent, evidence-based knowledge and tools to meet the challenges of crime and justice, particularly at the state and local levels.
Application Deadline: February 4, 2009
REENTRY NEWS
- PA: 12/11/08 Prison ministry taps community volunteers (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
- NJ: 12/10/08 - Study: Intensive parole supervision reduces recidivism among violent criminals (The Star-Ledger)
- FL: 12/10/08 - Florida prisons will soon house 100,000 inmates (WCTV)
- NH: 12/9/08 - NH inmates who finish education could get break (WCAX - TV)
- NJ: 12/9/08 - Prison debt paid, jobs not available (Gloucester County Times)
PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES
- Employment after Prison: A Longitudinal Study of Releasees in Three States (Urban Institute) - pdf
- Treatment and Reentry Practices for Sex Offenders (Vera Institute of Justice) - pdf
- Critical Time Intervention for Prison and Jail Reentry (Center for Behavioral Health Services & Criminal Justice Research) - pdf
- Effective County Practices in Jail to Community Transition Planning for Offenders with Mental Health and Substance Abuse Disorders (National Association of Counties) - pdf
- Partnering with Faith-Based and Community Organizations: A Guide for State and Local Officials Administering Federal Block Grants and Formula Grant Funds (Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) - pdf
In this Issue
Our Publications
The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center announced today the release of the toolkit, Planning and Assessing a Law Enforcement Reentry Strategy. With support by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), the kit has been designed as a guide and self-assessment tool for policing personnel and their partners to help reduce repeat crimes and facilitate successful reintegration by the more than 700,000 individuals who return to our communities from prisons each year and the more than 9 million from jails.